Laredo Sector Border Patrol Texas Hold’em Initiative cancels over 1K CDLs since the program’s inception

LAREDO, Texas – Laredo Sector Border Patrol Texas Hold'em Initiative cancels over one-thousand Commercial Driver’s Licenses since its inception in 2008.

Laredo Sector Border Patrol has cancelled one thousand fifty-three CDLs since the initiative’s inception. Of the one thousand fifty-three cancellations, 848 have been cancelled due to human smuggling cases, and 205 to narcotic smuggling cases. During the 2025 fiscal year, a total of 141 cancellations were submitted and cancelled in cooperation with the Department of Public Safety.

The Texas Hold'em initiative uses existing state laws to permanently revoke the Commercial Driver’s License of any person who is convicted of felony smuggling transportation charges while operating a commercial motor vehicle. An increase in communication and shared information between law enforcement agencies and transportation stakeholders has proven to be a great success for the program.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the program conduct educational outreach to the transportation industry, freight forwarding agencies, custom brokers, and commercial drivers on a weekly basis.  The educational outreach presentations consist of awareness and education which outlines the dangers of human and narcotic smuggling. 

The Texas Hold'em Initiative launched in June 2008, as a joint multiagency enforcement effort between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the United States Border Patrol to improve border security by implementing consequences on commercial drivers convicted of human and/or narcotic smuggling.

 For more information on the Texas Hold'em initiative you can visit Laredo Sector Border Patrol,  Facebook page. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection welcomes assistance from the community. Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol while remaining anonymous by calling 1-800-343-1994.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.