Trump administration preparing to replace migrant truck drivers with veterans
"any American citizen who has driven heavy trucks for our military will automatically qualify for a Commercial Driver's License."
PHILADELPHIA:- President Donald Trump has proposed replacing immigrant truck drivers with U.S. military veterans. He claimed that many undocumented truck drivers are responsible for fatal accidents.
He made these remarks during the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been intensifying its crackdown on undocumented workers in the trucking industry this week.
If this proposal moves forward, it could affect thousands of Indian immigrants—particularly those from Punjab and Haryana who have started finding work in the U.S. trucking sector over the past few years.
Addressing the conference, Trump stated that his administration is preparing to take “historic action” against undocumented truck drivers.
“My administration will soon take historic action against those illegal immigrant truck drivers who are claiming many lives,” he said.
He alleged, “They cannot read road signs. Many of them are under the influence of drugs or alcohol; they should not be driving such vehicles. They entered completely illegally and we do not want them, yet they are driving all over American roads.”
Trump stated that military veterans should take over the jobs currently held by immigrant drivers.
“We will bring in proud American veterans to replace them. We will take our veterans and teach them the ins and outs of driving trucks,” he said.
He also announced that “any American citizen who has driven heavy trucks for our military will automatically qualify for a Commercial Driver’s License.”
