Trump targets illegal immigrant truck drivers

Washington: US President Donald Trump this week announced plans for a sweeping crackdown on undocumented immigrant truck drivers, saying his administration would remove those working illegally on American roads and replace them with military veterans under a new licensing initiative.

Speaking at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit on Wednesday, Trump linked the proposed action to the recent death of Pennsylvania State Trooper Michael Pahira, who he said was killed by “an illegal alien operating a semi-truck on a commercial driver’s license.”

“Today, I’m making one more important announcement,” Trump said. “My administration will soon take historic action to get illegal alien truck drivers who are just killing a lot of people.”

He alleged that undocumented drivers “can’t read signs,” adding that “many of them are on drugs or alcohol, and they shouldn’t be driving these things.”

“They came in illegally and we don’t want them,” Trump said. “But they are driving all over American roadways, and we’re going to replace them with proud American veterans.”

Notably, Sikhs dominate the American trucking industry both as drivers and owners. The overwhelming majority operate legally as US citizens, permanent residents or authorized workers.

There are allegations that a large number of Sikh drivers are illegal, but this might not be true.

To drive, one needs a commercial driving license, which is issued by the state governments. In some cases, illegal immigrants who present themselves before a court seek political asylum are issued temporary official work permits. It’s only after that they are issued commerical driving license, which comes after a rigirours driving tests.

Trump said the administration would automatically recognise military experience for commercial trucking jobs. Notably

“We’re going to take our veterans… and we’re going to teach them a lot about driving trucks,” he said. “And in many cases they know. We’re going to say any American who has driven a heavy truck for our military will automatically be eligible for a commercial driver’s license.”

The president presented the proposal as both a public safety measure and a jobs initiative for former service members.

“We’re going to get them taken care of,” he said after announcing the licensing proposal.

Trump also criticised political opponents over the plan.

“The radical left is very much opposed to that,” he said. “But it doesn’t matter what they want because we’re the ones that are running it.”

The announcement came during a speech largely focused on defence manufacturing and investment in Pennsylvania, where Trump unveiled nearly $10 billion in new projects for shipbuilding, military technology and weapons production. He repeatedly linked economic growth, manufacturing and stricter immigration enforcement as central pillars of his administration’s agenda.

The proposed action could have implications for the US trucking industry, which has long faced driver shortages and increasingly relies on immigrant workers. The administration did not immediately provide details on how it would identify undocumented commercial drivers, review existing commercial driver’s licences or implement the proposed changes.

IANS