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US paused visas for foreign truck drivers after a fatal Florida crash involving Harjinder Singh. Canadian Trucking Alliance urges Ottawa to address immigration issues.
The semi-truck driver, an illegal immigrant, was arrested on Saturday.
Following the United States’ pause on visas for foreign commercial truck drivers, a leading Canadian association has pressed Ottawa for action to immediately address immigration-related “problems” in the industry.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the American action on Thursday. He posted on X, “The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.”
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This comes after a traffic accident in Florida earlier this month involving an Indian-origin truck driver, who had illegally entered the U.S. in 2018 but was still able to secure a commercial driver’s licence in California the following year.
On August 12, Harjinder Singh, driving a truck, attempted an illegal U-turn, which resulted in the death of three persons in a minivan. Singh is facing potential deportation and three counts of vehicular manslaughter. He had earlier been processed for deportation by the first Administration of President Donald Trump, but entered the asylum system after he “claimed fear of going back to India,” according to a Fox News report citing the Department of Homeland Security, the Hindustan Times reported.
However, developments in the U.S. are having an impact in Canada. “The Visa restrictions announced by Secretary Rubio do not pertain to the Visas utilised by drivers in Canada. However, CTA believes Canada must view these events as a wake-up call to clean up the issues within our system or risk potentially facing similar restrictions in the future,” the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) said in a statement issued on Friday.
The CTA said that “it has been adamant with governments that the problems in the industry related to immigration are very evident and must be addressed.”
It called out the Government’s “inaction” on revamping trucking immigration programmes, federally and provincially.
“It is not acceptable that those who follow the rules and operate legally be caught in the net the US is casting,” the release added.
“Unfortunately, the Canadian trucking industry has seen an influx of trucking fleets and ownership groups who have little regard for safety and other ethical, financial & labour business practices,” the CTA noted.
Similar tragedies have also been reported in Canada. On Friday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced the arrest of 25-year-old Navjeet Singh from Brampton. He has been charged in connection with the deaths of a 35-year-old woman and her eight-year-old daughter, after allegedly failing to stop at an intersection while driving a semi-trailer in Manitoba.
- Location :
Canada
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