For those who still insist, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary, that allowing mass numbers of foreign nationals into the country with few restrictions is a good idea, it is time for them to account for what happened to Tobias “Toby” Forsythe.

Toby should still be alive today. A promising 21-year-old economics major and goalkeeper for the University of Massachusetts Lowell soccer team, Forsythe was killed July 5 on Interstate 71 in Madison County, Ohio, when a semi-truck allegedly rear-ended his vehicle. The driver, Uzbek national Bekhzod Asrarov, 42, had entered the United States in 2024 through the diversity visa lottery. He held an Ohio commercial driver’s license (CDL) despite speaking no English and reportedly relied on Google Translate to communicate with investigators. He was even allegedly caught on scene trying to smash his phones and dashcam to conceal the evidence of his crimes.

This tragedy is not an aberration. It is the predictable result of reckless policies that have allowed unqualified noncitizens—including illegal aliens and those admitted through lax programs—to obtain commercial driver’s licenses and operate 80,000-pound rigs on American roads. When drivers cannot read road signs, understand traffic instructions, or communicate with law enforcement, America’s highways become much more dangerous and innocent people lose their lives. There are inherent risks when driving, but this is a preventable and unacceptable risk. 

The number of disturbing, similar cases are quickly piling up. In Florida, Harjinder Singh, an Indian national who the Trump administration says entered the country illegally in 2018, obtained a California commercial driver’s license after failing the CDL knowledge test 10 times in two months in Washington state. He was later charged in a deadly illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike that killed three people.

In Indiana, Bekzhan Beishekeev, an illegal immigrant from Kyrgyzstan holding a Pennsylvania CDL, allegedly failed to brake and swerved into oncoming traffic, slamming into an Amish van and killing four people. Most recently in Pennsylvania, Haitian national Michael Bon—an illegal alien who entered under a Biden-era parole program that was later terminated—held a Massachusetts CDL and was charged after his rig struck and killed Pennsylvania State Trooper Michael Pahira Jr. during a commercial vehicle inspection.

These are not isolated incidents. Federal data cited by the Trump administration shows at least 17 fatal crashes in 2025 alone linked to noncitizen truck drivers with commercial licenses. The White House has since moved aggressively to revoke tens of thousands of CDLs from drivers lacking English proficiency, a basic federal requirement for safely operating commercial vehicles. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy rightly stated that we cannot allow truckers who are unable to read road signs or speak to law enforcement to pilot massive rigs across the country.

Why are accidents involving trucks driven by foreign nationals on the rise? States, particularly those with sanctuary policies, are issuing or renewing CDLs to drivers without verifying legal status, English proficiency, or basic competency. Federal law demands that CDL holders demonstrate sufficient English to understand traffic signs, communicate during inspections, and respond to emergencies. Yet, for years, enforcement has been spotty, at best. Diversity visa lottery winners like Asrarov, parolees, and illegal entrants who slip through the cracks receive licenses in places like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and California.

At the other end of the spectrum, the H-1B visa program, sold as a merit-based tool for highly skilled workers, has been repeatedly abused by corporations to import cheaper foreign labor, often displacing qualified Americans in tech and other fields. Both the random lottery that injects unqualified drivers onto our roads and the H-1B system that prioritizes corporate cost-cutting over American workers originate from the same flawed source: immigration policies that treat American lives and livelihoods as expendable.

The solutions to these problems are not mysteries. Enforce federal CDL standards without exception: no license without proven English proficiency and legal work authorization. End the diversity visa lottery, which serves no compelling national interest. Crack down on states that issue commercial licenses to illegal aliens or parolees. Reform the H-1B program to truly prioritize American workers rather than outsourcing pipelines. Deport those here illegally who endanger the public, and restore merit, vetting, and assimilation as the core principles of legal immigration. The remedies are rather obvious. We just need leaders with the courage to implement them while ignoring the predictable attacks from the government-media complex that push mass migration on the rest of us.

Toby Forsythe’s death is a reminder that anti-borders policies have consequences. Issuing commercial licenses to people who cannot safely operate the vehicles they drive—whether through diversity lotteries, parole programs, or lax state DMVs—is not showing compassion. Sanctuary politicians are gambling with American lives on our highways. It is time to stop the recklessness and put the safety of citizens first.