After deadly crash, US blocks foreign trucker visas with immediate effect

President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday abruptly stopped issuing US visas for truck drivers after a fatal crash drew national attention, its latest sweeping step against foreign visitors.

"Effective immediately, we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers," Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X.

"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," he wrote.

Rubio's action came after a truck driver was charged with killing three people on a highway in Florida while making an illegal U-turn.

Harjinder Singh, who is from India, allegedly entered the United States illegally from Mexico and failed an English examination after the crash, according to federal officials.

The case has gathered wide media attention and has been highlighted by officials in Florida, controlled by Trump's Republican Party, with the lieutenant governor flying to California to extradite Singh personally alongside immigration agents on Thursday.

The crash has taken on a political dimension in part as Singh received his commercial license in California and also lived in the West Coast state, which is run by the rival Democratic Party and opposes Trump's crackdown on immigration.

"This crash was a preventable tragedy directly caused by reckless decisions and compounded by despicable failures," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom's office responded that the federal government under Trump had issued a work permit to Singh, who sought asylum, and that California had cooperated in extraditing him.

Even before the crash, Republican lawmakers had been targeting foreign truckers, pointing to a rising number of accidents without providing evidence of a direct link to immigrants.

In June, Duffy issued a directive that truck drivers must speak English.

Truck drivers have long been required to pass tests that include basic English proficiency, but in 2016, under former president Barack Obama, authorities were told not to take truckers off the road solely on account of language deficiencies.

Changing face of truckers

The number of foreign-born truck drivers in the United States more than doubled between 2000 and 2021 to 720,000, according to federal statistics.

Foreign-born drivers now make up 18% of the industry -- in line with the US labour market as a whole, but a departure for a profession long identified with white, working-class men.

More than half of the foreign-born drivers come from Latin America, with sizable numbers in recent years from India and Eastern European nations, especially Ukraine, according to industry groups.

The influx of foreign drivers has come in response to demand.

A study earlier this year by the financial company altLine said the United States faced a shortage of 24,000 truck drivers, costing the freight industry $95.5 million per week as goods go undelivered.

Widening visa curbs

Trump has long made opposition to immigration a signature issue, rising to political prominence in 2016 with vows to build a wall on the Mexican border.

Rubio has taken a starring role in Trump's efforts by cracking down on visas.

The State Department said this week that it has rescinded more than 6,000 student visas since Trump took office -- four times more than during the same period last year -- and an official said all 55 million foreigners with US visas are liable to "continuous vetting."

Rubio has ordered scrutiny of applicants' social media accounts and proudly removed students who campaigned against Israel's offensive in Gaza, using a law that allows him to rescind visas for people deemed to counter US foreign policy interests.

The State Department over the weekend also paused visitor visas meant for severely wounded children from Gaza to receive treatment.

The decision came after Laura Loomer -- a far-right activist close to Trump who has described the September 11, 2001, terror attack as an inside job -- said she spoke to Rubio and warned of "Islamic invaders" from Gaza.