(José Niño, Headline USA) The Trump administration has announced an immediate freeze on the issuance of worker visas for foreign commercial truck drivers, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio citing safety concerns for American citizens and economic impacts on domestic truckers.
“Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers. The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio stated last Thursday on the social media platform X.
Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.
The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 21, 2025
The Hill reported that this decision follows an incident involving Harjinder Singh, an Indian truck driver who allegedly caused fatal injuries by making an illegal U-turn approximately 50 miles north of West Palm Beach, Florida. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Singh—who faces three vehicular homicide charges—was residing in the United States legally.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Tuesday that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has initiated an investigation into the deadly Florida highway collision.
As Headline USA reported in late April, President Trump issued an executive order mandating English proficiency for all commercial truck drivers operating within U.S. borders. This followed his March executive order establishing English as the nation’s official language.
“They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers,” the White House specified in the directive. “Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English.”
International truck drivers typically work in the United States under H-2B visa classifications.
Additionally, the State Department confirmed Thursday that it is reviewing over 55 million U.S. visa holders for potential deportable violations, including criminal conduct, visa overstays, and involvement in any type of “terrorist activity.”
Last week, the State Department announced it would suspend all visas for Gaza Strip visitors while conducting a “full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days.”
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
