A truck driver of Indian origin, Harjinder Singh, caused a fatal crash in Florida killing three people while making an illegal U-turn. Photo: X
US reviews 55m visas for deportable violations; no visas for foreign truck drivers
The decision to pause new work visas for commercial truck drivers was taken citing a fatal Florida crash by an Indian-origin truck driver and road safety concerns
The Trump administration said on Thursday (August 21) that it's reviewing all the more than 55 million people with US visas for potential deportable violations.
The State Department says visas that allow people to stay in the United States are revoked any time if there are “indicators of overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity, or providing support to a terrorist organization”.
No worker visas for commercial truck drivers
The US will stop issuing worker visas for commercial truck drivers, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.
Announcing the move on Thursday in a post on X, Rubio said the change was effective immediately.
Also Read: US warns Indians of deportation, lifetime travel ban for overstaying visas
“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,” Rubio posted.
The department did not immediately respond to a question about the number of foreign truck drivers working in the US.
Indian-origin driver charged
Rubio’s action to stop issuing worker visas for commercial truck drivers with immediate effect came after a truck driver of Indian origin, Harjinder Singh, caused a fatal crash in Florida killing three people while making an illegal U-turn.
The fatal crash has raised anger among President Donald Trump’s supporters.
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Harjinder Singh allegedly entered the US illegally from Mexico, and failed an English examination that was administered to him after the crash, said Federal officials.
Harjinder is being extradited from the US.
Lack of English proficiency
The Trump administration in past months has taken steps to enforce the requirement that truckers speak and read English proficiently.
Also Read: US issues record-breaking 1 million visas to Indians in 2023
The Transportation Department said the aim is to improve road safety following incidents in which drivers' inability to read signs or speak English may have contributed to traffic deaths.
(With agency inputs)