US Truck Driver Visa Ban: Deadly Crash Involving an Indian
Trump Administration Enforces US Truck Driver Visa Ban Amid Immigration Controversy
US Truck Driver Visa: The United States has abruptly suspended the issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers, a move Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Thursday following a highway tragedy that has shaken both politics and public opinion.
Rubio declared on X (formerly Twitter): “Effective immediately, we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers. The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.”
The decision comes in the wake of a fatal crash in Florida that killed three people. The driver, identified as Harjinder Singh from India, allegedly entered the US illegally from Mexico and was later charged after attempting an illegal U-turn with his tractor-trailer. Federal officials also revealed that Singh failed an English proficiency examination following the incident.
US Truck Driver Visa: A Case That Turned Political
The case escalated into a heated political battle after it was revealed that Singh held a commercial driver’s license issued in California, a state led by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. While the Trump administration accused Newsom of negligence, the governor’s office pointed back at Washington, noting that Singh’s federal work permit was granted under Trump’s watch.
In a dramatic show of political resolve, Florida’s Republican lieutenant governor personally accompanied immigration officers to California to extradite Singh back to the Sunshine State for trial.
Republican Push Against Foreign Drivers
The US truck driver visa ban is the latest in a series of measures by the Trump administration to clamp down on foreign-born drivers. Earlier this summer, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy mandated that all commercial drivers must demonstrate English proficiency, reversing Obama-era guidance that prevented disqualification based solely on language barriers.
Republican lawmakers have increasingly voiced concerns about road safety, claiming a surge in highway crashes involving foreign drivers. However, they have provided little evidence directly linking immigration to accident rates.
US Truck Driver Visa: A Growing Workforce Under Scrutiny
According to federal labor statistics, the number of foreign-born truck drivers more than doubled between 2000 and 2021, reaching 720,000. Today, nearly 18 percent of the trucking workforce in the United States is foreign-born, a striking shift in an industry once dominated by the white working class.
Latin America remains the primary source of immigrant drivers, but recent years have also seen a steady influx from India and Eastern Europe, particularly Ukraine. Industry groups argue that foreign drivers have been crucial in filling shortages in long-haul trucking, a sector that has struggled to attract younger American workers.
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