In a sobering warning that certain foreign truck drivers are putting American lives in peril and undermining American truckers’ livelihoods, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that the United States would stop granting work permits to them.
In his two-sentence post on the social media site X on Thursday, he gave no details, allowing others in the trucking business to speculate about how many drivers will be impacted.
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In a nutshell, no.
However, given the highly politicized Florida disaster involving a foreign truck driver and the public battle between the offices of two aspiring governors over accountability, the announcement seemed to be more about politics than road safety.
Here are some things you should be aware of as the Florida crash has affected national politics:
Will many drivers be affected?
The precise quantity is unclear and depends on how many you define. However, it seems that the new rule would only impact a few thousand of the 3.5 million commercial truck drivers in the nation.
The State Department announced on Friday that the halt is targeted at drivers who are asking for three different kinds of visas, most notably the temporary worker H-2B visa.
According to Jeff Joseph, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the program only issued about 1,500 truck driver visas this fiscal year, compared to 1,400 last year.
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What many observers perceive to be a chronic lack of commercial drivers has been somewhat mitigated by the initiative.
However, drivers only make up a small percentage of the 66,000 H-2B visas that are capped for most years.
The State Department has identified two additional visa categories: the EB-3, which is for skilled workers including IT experts, electricians, and health care workers, and the E-2, which is for individuals who invest a significant amount of money in a U.S. company.
Trucking groups are pleased and relieved
The administration was praised by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, a trade group that advocates for small-business truck drivers, for dispelling the myth of a truck driver shortage and for its ongoing work to bring sensible safety regulations back to our country’s highways.
The group brushes off claims of shortage, stating that although independent truckers are frequently available, businesses favor drivers with lower prices.
When the State Department provided additional information regarding Rubio’s announcement, Jerry Maldonado of the Laredo Motor Carriers Association—a coalition of 200 trucking companies that operate on both sides of the southern border—was relieved.
According to him, Mexican and Canadian drivers use B-1 visas, which provide temporary entry into the United States for non-citizens. Some were concerned that their visas would also be suspended.
Some people were alarmed by the statement, but I’m happy that everything was clarified, Maldonado added.
The deadly Florida crash
Rubio made his declaration after the state Highway Patrol reported that truck driver Harjinder Singh had murdered three people by doing an unlawful U-turn on a highway.
As Singh turned the corner, an adjacent minivan crashed into his trailer. There were no injuries to Singh or his passenger.
Singh, an Indian national, was in the country unlawfully, the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday.
We are stopping the granting of employment visas for commercial truck drivers as of right now.The livelihoods of American truckers are being threatened by the growing number of foreign drivers operating massive tractor-trailer trucks on American roads.
Supporters of Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, swiftly turned the tragedy into a political one, accusing California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, of being responsible.
Both men have been suggested as potential candidates for president.
According to the National Immigration Law Center, Homeland Security reported that Singh received a commercial driver’s license in California, one of 19 states that grant licenses irrespective of an individual’s immigration status.
Gavin Newsom took the lives of three people. At a news conference in Stockton, California, Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins stated Thursday that California’s failed policies were to blame.
Following the crash on August 12, Singh took a plane to California, where U.S. Marshals detained him.
In order to supervise Singh’s return to Florida, where he faces three charges of vehicular homicide and visa infractions, DeSantis deployed Collins to California. Collins led Singh onboard the aircraft with the help of police officers.
A Newsom representative blasted Florida officials for allowing a murder suspect to go free and referred to Collins’ trip as a “photo op.”
Safety? Or politics?
Florida officials and the Trump administration maintain that immigration and traffic safety are their top priorities.
Following situations where drivers’ ability to understand signs or speak English may have contributed to traffic deaths, the administration has taken action in recent months to enforce English-language competence requirements for truckers.
The State Department also announced Friday that the agency is beginning a review of its foreign driver screening process and that individuals without legal visas will be subject to additional verification.
Others have a different perspective.
Showing the folks who elected Trump that he is carrying out his daily duties to police immigration is part of the strategy, according to Joseph, of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. You incite panic and terror in communities by claiming that there are several undocumented foreign drivers on the road.
