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Trump targets illegal immigrant truck drivers
President Donald Trump says undocumented truck drivers will be removed and replaced by military veterans
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IANS - Fri, 17, Jul 2026
- 05:35 EDT
- 24
US President Donald Trump announced plans targeting undocumented immigrant truck drivers. / IANS
US President Donald Trump this week announced plans for a sweeping crackdown on undocumented immigrant truck drivers, saying his administration would remove those working illegally on American roads and replace them with military veterans under a new licensing initiative.
Speaking at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit on Wednesday, Trump linked the proposed action to the recent death of Pennsylvania State Trooper Michael Pahira, who he said was killed by "an illegal alien operating a semi-truck on a commercial driver's license."
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"Today, I'm making one more important announcement," Trump said. "My administration will soon take historic action to get illegal alien truck drivers who are just killing a lot of people."
He alleged that undocumented drivers "can't read signs," adding that "many of them are on drugs or alcohol, and they shouldn't be driving these things."
"They came in illegally and we don't want them," Trump said. "But they are driving all over American roadways, and we're going to replace them with proud American veterans."
Notably, Sikhs have a significant presence in the American trucking industry as both drivers and owners. The overwhelming majority operate legally as US citizens, permanent residents or authorized workers.
There are allegations that a large number of Sikh drivers are undocumented, but there is no conclusive evidence to support those claims.
To drive commercial trucks in the US, one needs a commercial driver's license (CDL), which is issued by state governments. In some cases, immigrants who have entered the US illegally but later present themselves before a court and seek political asylum may receive temporary work authorization. Only after obtaining such authorization can they apply for a commercial driver's license, which requires rigorous driving tests.
Trump said the administration would automatically recognize military driving experience for commercial trucking jobs.
"We're going to take our veterans... and we're going to teach them a lot about driving trucks," he said. "And in many cases they know. We're going to say any American who has driven a heavy truck for our military will automatically be eligible for a commercial driver's license."
The president presented the proposal as both a public safety measure and a jobs initiative for former service members.
"We're going to get them taken care of," he said after announcing the licensing proposal.
Trump also criticized political opponents over the plan.
"The radical left is very much opposed to that," he said. "But it doesn't matter what they want because we're the ones that are running it."
The announcement came during a speech largely focused on defense manufacturing and investment in Pennsylvania, where Trump unveiled nearly US$10 billion in new projects for shipbuilding, military technology and weapons production. He repeatedly linked economic growth, manufacturing and stricter immigration enforcement as central pillars of his administration's agenda.
The proposed action could have implications for the US trucking industry, which has long faced driver shortages and increasingly relies on immigrant workers. The administration did not immediately provide details on how it would identify undocumented commercial drivers, review existing commercial driver's licenses or implement the proposed changes.
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