An Entrenched Judge Undermines 47's Attempts to Make Our Roads Safer
We've written twice about dangerous commercial truck drivers who are operating here illegally and killing Americans. You can find those columns here and here.
Politicians and officials who weren't members of the Democratic Party were predictably "outraged" regarding these highway deaths, which was no surprise.
Outrage is cheap in our nation's and state capitols.
We wanted action and asked:
—When will the Trump administration do something about illegal truck drivers endangering Americans nationally?
—When is Trump going to blow up the H1–B visa pipeline that imports incompetent truck drivers stealing jobs from Americans?
—When is he going to go after the companies that hire these drivers?
—When does Trump cut off highway funds until California stops enabling dangerous drivers?
—When are the indictments coming for the callous executives who value their dollar over the well–being of the nation?
And some action came.
No indictments of company executives, no blocking the Calcutta to California H1–B driver pipeline which takes jobs from Americans and no indictments of the companies hiring incompetent drivers.
Fox News reports what the Trump administration did do was order the Department of Transportation to require immigrants who hold three specific classes of visas to obtain commercial licenses valid for one year, and require immigration status to be confirmed via a federal database.
"Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced in October the administration is withholding $40 million from California over its refusal to enforce English language requirements for truckers."
Florida and Oklahoma also joined in to protect motorists in their respective states. Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Okla., began Operation Guardian "a comprehensive deportation in coordination with Oklahoma's Department of Public Safety."
At a truck stop near the Texas border "The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, working with ICE agents, arrested 120 illegal immigrants during an operation at a port of entry near the Texas border. . . . where officials found most offenders with unverifiable licenses behind the wheels of 80,000-pound 18-wheelers."
WCTV reported Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., went proactive, too.
"At agriculture inspection stations across the state, officers are now testing drivers' ability to speak and understand English."
All this was evidently too much for a District of Columbia federal judge who is more concerned with paperwork than citizen's safety.
"A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. ruled on Thursday the Department of Transportation's (DOT) restrictions on immigrants obtaining commercial driver's licenses cannot be enforced.
"The restrictions were announced in September, after an illegal immigrant truck driver was accused of causing a tractor-trailer crash that killed three people in Fort Pierce, Florida."
Specifically, "they found the federal government did not follow proper procedure when creating the new rule, or explain how the rule would promote safety.
'Judges also noted Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) data shows about 5% of all commercial driver’s licenses belong to immigrants, though they only account for about 0.2% of fatal crashes."
Ah, yes.
Those percentages.
The 0.2% who die as a result of incompetent immigrant drivers are just a rounding error to the judges who can't seem to grasp that there is a good chance those folks would still be alive if the immigrant drivers hadn't been issued CDLs in the first place.
This ruling means the CDLs California issued to 17,000 immigrant drivers — legal and illegal — will remain valid long after the driver's work permits expired.
Thanks to a left-wing judge.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association supported the Trump administration’s efforts:
"OOIDA applauds the administration for seeing through the myth of a truck driver shortage and continuing efforts to restore commonsense safety standards on our nation's highways. Pausing visas for commercial truck drivers will help ensure only qualified individuals get licensed.
"Additionally, there is unlikely to be any negative effect on the supply chain, as the trucking industry continues to face overcapacity.
"The misuse of visa programs along with the rise of non-domiciled CDL holders in recent years has fueled a flood of drivers into our country who struggle to operate safely in full compliance with regulations."
Democratic politicians — left-adherents all — value illegal foreigners more than they value the lives of American citizens.
Every example of death-by-illegal-immigrant should be hung around the neck of every Democratic Party candidate running for office.
Immigration issues: visa fraud, H1–B abuse and the invasion if illegal immigrants are the foundation of Trump's 2024 victory. Trump had best find a solution for rogue left-wing judges and get the national GOP on message, otherwise the 2026 midterms are going to be a disaster.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Ronald Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Mr. Reagan is an in-demand speaker with Premiere Speaker's Bureau. Read Michael Reagan's Reports — More Here.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with Added Humor!)" Read Michael Shannon's Reports — More Here.