Foreign Minister Marco Rubio has immediately stopped issuing labor visas to commercial truck drivers.
This decision will affect a large number of Indians who go to the US to work as truck drivers. Usually, foreign truck drivers work on H-2B visas.
Rubio said that the growing number of foreign drivers handling heavy trucks is putting American lives at risk and also reducing job opportunities for local drivers.
Earlier, the Trump administration had introduced a rule requiring truck drivers to read and speak English to improve safety on the roads.
This was because several accidents had occurred when drivers failed to understand traffic signs.
Case of Indian-Origin Truck Driver
The latest decision comes after a serious accident in Florida. On August 12, an Indian-origin driver, Harjinder Singh (28), was charged with vehicular homicide.
Authorities allege that Singh took a wrong turn on the highway, causing a speeding minivan to collide with his truck. Three people were killed in the crash.
A related video is circulating online. Reports also claim that Singh entered the US illegally in 2018
and later managed to get commercial driving licenses in California and Washington.
