The United States on Friday announced an immediate pause on issuing worker visas for commercial truck drivers, citing rising road safety risks and threats to domestic trucking jobs.
This announcement was made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a post on X.
“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 U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” he said.
Florida Road Accident
The move comes after a fatal crash in Florida on August 12 that claimed three lives. The driver, identified as Indian national Harjinder Singh, was later convicted of illegally entering the United States.
Singh was arrested in Stockton, California. Investigators said he was driving a commercial truck with a trailer on the Florida Turnpike in Fort Pierce when he attempted to make an illegal U-turn. The trailer flipped over and collided with a minivan, killing all three occupants.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has opened an investigation into the fatal highway crash in Florida. Harjinder Singh, an undocumented immigrant who was driving the truck involved, has been transferred back to Florida to face charges of reckless driving that resulted in the deaths of three people.
Row Over Florida Road Accident
The tragedy has reignited the debate over immigration in the US, work permits and state-issued driving licences for undocumented immigrants.
Shortly after the incident, on August 18, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin criticized the California governor for issuing commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.
McLaughlin said in a post on X, “Secretary Noem and DHS are working around the clock to protect the public and get these criminal illegal aliens out of America.”
The case has also raised political tensions between California Governor Gavin Newsom and federal authorities. Newsom’s office claimed Singh’s work permit was approved during the Trump administration. However, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin refuted this, clarifying that Singh’s application was rejected in 2020 and was later approved under the Biden administration.
