What Matters Now
- The State Department has paused issuing worker visas for commercial truck drivers while it reviews screening and vetting protocols.
- Florida officials say a tractor-trailer attempted an illegal U-turn across Turnpike lanes, killing three; DHS says the driver entered illegally in 2018 and later obtained a California CDL. Florida Highway Safety S. Department of Homeland Security
- Separately, the State Dept. says it is re-vetting ~55 million current U.S. visa holders for potential violations or ineligibility.
By Samuel Lopez — USA Herald
LOS ANGELES — August 22, 2025. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. is “immediately” pausing issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers while the department conducts a comprehensive review of how it screens applicants’ qualifications. A State Department spokesperson added the pause applies to all nationalities and is not country-specific.
The move follows a fatal crash on Florida’s Turnpike just days ago. According to Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), the semi’s driver, Harjinder Singh, attempted an illegal U-turn via an “Official Use Only” crossover, blocking northbound lanes and causing a minivan to strike the trailer; three people in the minivan died. Singh was later arrested and faces three counts of vehicular homicide in Florida, along with immigration violations. Florida Highway Safety WKMG
DHS escalated the political stakes, issuing a release labeling Singh a “criminal illegal alien,” stating he crossed from Mexico in 2018 and, despite lacking legal status, “obtained a Commercial Driver’s License in California.” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin separately said issuing a commercial license to someone in the U.S. unlawfully is “asinine,” and publicly disputed claims about when Singh received work authorization—saying it was denied in September 2020 and approved in June 2021 under former President Biden. https://www.wowt.com
Rubio’s visa pause touches a workforce where foreign-born drivers are a meaningful share and arrives alongside a broader State Department initiative: an expanded re-vetting of roughly 55 million current visa holders to identify overstays, safety risks, and ineligibility signals, with revocation possible upon adverse findings. The agency framed the review as an extension of “continuous vetting.” Civil-liberties groups have raised concerns about scope and feasibility. The Washington Post
