White House Border Czar: ‘Amnesty Is Off The Table’
'President Trump said amnesty is off the table'
End of the road: 200,000 foreign truckers could lose their CDLs as Trump’s rule takes effect
Approximately 200,000 foreign truck drivers will no longer be able to renew their commercial driver’s licenses following the Department of Transportation’s final rule that took effect on Monday.
The DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the final rule, “Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Drivers Licenses,” in February to prevent “unqualified foreign drivers” from operating big rigs and buses on American roadways.
‘Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first.’
A press release from the FMCSA noted that in 2025, non-domiciled drivers caused 17 fatal crashes and 30 deaths.
The announcement followed a nationwide audit that found “systemic non-compliance” in the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs in several states.
The final rule’s key provisions include limiting non-domiciled CDLs to foreign nationals with H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 visas. It also terminated Employment Authorization Documents as acceptable proof of eligibility. Additionally, it required state licensing agencies to verify the eligibility of foreign nationals through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system.
RELATED: Foreigners want to drive a big rig? They'll need more than work authorization papers, Duffy says.
Therefore, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, asylum seekers, Temporary Protected Status holders, and those relying solely on work authorization documents are no longer eligible to obtain a CDL.
Foreign nationals who no longer meet these qualifications may continue to drive as long as their current license remains valid. However, they will not be able to renew their licenses once they expire.
The Washington Post estimated that the final rule, which took effect on Monday, will impact about 200,000 CDL holders.
“For far too long, America has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to abuse our truck licensing systems — wreaking havoc on our roadways. This safety loophole ends today,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated during February’s announcement of the final rule. “Moving forward, unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000-pound big rig. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first. From enforcing English language standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we will continue to attack this crisis on our roads head on.”
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Reining In Federal Spending Must Start With The Executive Branch
For years going on decades, presidents of both parties have used executive action to spend money Congress never fully authorized.USCIS approved nearly 80,000 DACA requestors with arrests, including for violent crimes
A recently released report from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services revealed that the federal government approved nearly 80,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals requestors who had an arrest or multiple arrests, including for violent crime, within the first five years of the program.
The DACA program, created by executive order by former President Barack Obama in 2012, allows “certain people who came to the United States as children and meet several guidelines” to avoid deportation and even apply for work authorization.
'Preserved and fortified DACA.'
The USCIS’ report, “DACA Requestors with an IDENT Response: November 2019 Update,” revealed that from June 2012 to October 2019, the department approved 765,166 of the 888,818 DACA requestors. Of those approved, 79,398 (10.38%) were granted DACA despite having at least one arrest. Of the 77,833 requestors (38.71%) who were denied or their applications were terminated, 30,132 had at least one arrest. Nearly 68,000 of the requestors had a “prior” arrest, and roughly 16,000 had a “later” arrest, the report stated.
The report provided a breakdown of DACA requestors who “received an IDENT response,” which “indicates that an alien ... was arrested or apprehended for a criminal offense or an immigration-related civil offense,” it stated.
The most common type of offense was “driving-related,” followed by “immigration-related,” and theft and larceny. Nearly 7,000 recipients had a prior arrest for drug-related crimes, roughly 4,000 for driving under the influence, over 3,000 for battery, and more than 3,000 for assault. Other types of offenses DACA recipients were arrested for included alleged offenses against family and children, weapon-related, hit and run, probation and parole violations, and illegal sex-related acts. Over 300 of the DACA recipients were arrested on sexual abuse or rape charges, 15 on murder, five on manslaughter or negligent/reckless homicide, and two on child pornography.
The USCIS reported that 54,500 of the approved DACA recipients had been arrested or apprehended once, while 24,898 had multiple arrests or apprehensions. More than 50 illegal aliens who were approved for the DACA program had over 10 arrests or apprehensions, the report stated.
The department also reported the age groups of DACA requestors with prior arrests: more than 87,000 between the ages of 19 and 22, over 46,000 between 23 and 26, and roughly 42,000 between 15 and 18.
The majority of DACA requestors with prior arrests were citizens of Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil, Peru, or Ecuador, the report found.
This month, President Joe Biden announced two executive actions that will expand deportation protections and work opportunities for recipients of the DACA program.
The Biden administration framed the executive action as a plan to “keep families together.”
“Working with advocates and organizers from across the nation, we have rejected hateful attacks on immigrants, preserved and fortified DACA, increased access to affordable health care, and expanded economic opportunity,” Vice President Kamala Harris stated. “Today, we are building on that work by taking bold action to bring relief to an estimated half a million spouses of American citizens who have been here in the country for a decade or more and their children. They deserve our protection, and should be allowed to remain with their families and contribute to our communities while they apply for a green card.” A federal judge has twice ruled that the Obama-era program is illegal. The Supreme Court is expected to decide on a lawsuit, led by Texas, against the DACA program.
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Biden invites more illegal immigrants by proposing ‘free’ health care at your expense
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