Trump administration to pause issuing visas for truck drivers; Port of Oakland to be impacted

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on social media Thursday that the U.S. would pause the issuing of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.

The announcement came as a surprise to many in the local trucking industry at the Port of Oakland, where a large portion of drivers are immigrants.

“This yard that we’re in, 32 different languages are spoken here,” said Bill Aboudi of AB Trucking.

While some disagree with the pause, others are more receptive to it.

“I think that the industry has been flooded with drivers, many of them unsafe and untrained and that we need a pause,” said Bill Hall.

MORE: State Department may require visa applicants to post bond of up to $15,000 to enter the US

Hall owns Coyote Container. He believes immigrant truck drivers have lead to an oversupply of drivers and suppressed wages.

“If you’re paying a truck driver minimum wage and you can get away with it because they’re here… then that’s an unfair competitive advantage that they have,” Hall said.

In addition to the new rules regarding truckers, the Trump administration also announced Thursday an expanded review process for as many as 55 million other immigrants, too.

The State Department says it will now have a continuous vetting process for all valid U.S. visa holders.

So what do these new policies actually mean for people who are here on visas?

MORE: Trump administration is reviewing all 55 million foreigners with US visas for any violations

Some immigration attorneys say the answer to that question is still unclear.

“The administration often comes up with a new policy without providing a lot of details, which makes it difficult to ascertain how to comply with the new policy,” said immigration attorney Fabiano Valerio.

Valerio believes the new vetting process is likely to cause confusion and panic among legal immigrants.

Adding another layer of complexity in an already daunting American immigration process.

And as for the folks at the trucking yards in Oakland, several say many here are just trying to find their American dream.

“They come to the U.S., they have to build up their language skills. And to do that, the truck driving is the first step that they get into,” said Aboudi.