US work visa update as Marco Rubio announces new pause

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday announced that commercial truck driving work visas are being paused, “effective immediately.”

Why It Matters

The move comes as federal and Transportation Department investigators probed a deadly Florida highway crash involving a truck driver from India whom prosecutors charged in the deaths of three people.

The announcement echoes earlier administration actions to tighten English-language enforcement for commercial drivers and followed recent orders from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to increase oversight.

What To Know

Taking to X, Rubio posted, “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 added.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April directing the enforcement of English-proficiency rules for commercial drivers.

“President Trump believes that English is a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers, as they should be able to read and understand traffic signs; communicate with traffic safety officers, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station personnel; and provide and receive feedback and directions in English,” the order said in part.

A spokesperson for the State Department told Newsweek via email that the pause is for applicants who wish to operate commercial trucks with H-2B, E-2 and EB-3 visa classifications.

“The Department will take all necessary steps to protect public safety, including on America’s roads. This pause will remain in place while the Department of State, in coordination with the Departments of Labor and Homeland Security, makes any necessary updates to its screening and vetting protocols,” the spokesperson added.

This month in St. Lucie County, Florida, Harjinder Singh was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide, accused of attempting an illegal U-turn while driving a commercial semitruck, Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) investigators said. Three people in a minivan died in the crash.

FHP said Singh entered the country illegally via the Mexico border in 2018 and obtained a commercial driver’s license in California.

What People Are Saying

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis posted to X on Monday: “Illegal alien issued CDL by California. Doesn’t even speak English. Sanctuary policies are deadly. Must hold the illegal alien accountable but also the other actors involved including the company.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted to X on Thursday: “Non-enforcement and radical immigration policies have turned the trucking industry into a lawless frontier. @USDOT is committed to cleaning it up. Thanks to @POTUS, all truck drivers MUST be able to speak and read English or they WILL be put out of service. If you don’t understand the language, you can’t understand the laws. End of discussion.”

Immigration lawyer Nicolette Glazer posted to X on Thursday: “This is such BS! There are very few ‘work visas’ issued to commercial truck drivers, probably in the few hundreds, if that, a year. The reason? They don’t really fit in the H2B because the shortage is not seasonal or temporary and other than for carriers from MX or Canada w transborder MCs, not likely to fit them in the transfer categories.”

What Happens Next

It is immediately unknown how long the pause will last or if the Trump administration will add more restrictions to it.