New rules for issuing commercial driver's licenses (CDL) in the United States threaten the financial well-being of thousands of migrants from Central Asia who support their families through work in freight transportation. The tightening of migrant controls, raids, and mass detentions make their lives significantly more complicated. This was reported by Azattyk Asia.
“MOST OF US DO NOT HAVE GREEN CARDS OR CITIZENSHIP”
Yusuf, a migrant from Uzbekistan, moved to the USA three years ago through Mexico. Initially, he worked as a courier, but then, like many of his compatriots, became a truck driver.
Driving a truck was long considered a lucrative job among migrants, thanks to high salaries and relatively simple conditions for obtaining a CDL. However, the situation has now changed.
— Under Joe Biden, it was possible to communicate through an interpreter, even if you didn’t know English, and that helped. Now the emphasis is on language proficiency, and many migrants face problems because of this. In democratic states, checks are not as strict as in Oklahoma or Florida, — complains Yusuf.
With the arrival of Donald Trump in January 2025, immigration policy tightened, and large-scale raids against illegal immigrants began in the country.
At the end of September, the Department of Transportation announced new restrictions on issuing CDLs to foreigners: now drivers without American citizenship will not be able to obtain licenses to operate heavy trucks without a work visa and mandatory federal immigration status checks.
— Everyone took this very hard. Most of our drivers do not have green cards or citizenship, — says Erlan Sydykov, owner of a transportation company from Kyrgyzstan. — We actively communicate with them, advising them to check their documents with lawyers, as drivers without documents are immediately sent to detention. This situation will hit our company hard: about 60–70% of drivers may lose their jobs.
Myrlan, another Kyrgyz, confirms that obtaining a license has become much more difficult. Previously, foreigners could obtain permits to drive trucks for up to five years, but now such licenses are not being issued.
Safar, another driver, shared that he was unable to renew his CDL after it expired.
— I was told that it cannot be renewed; it has been canceled, — he shares.
According to official data, there are about four million professional truck drivers in the USA, many of whom are migrants from Latin America, Africa, and Central Asia.
In recent years, the flow of migrants from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to the USA has significantly increased. People from countries with authoritarian regimes and high unemployment are striving to come to America in search of a better life. Chicago has become a place where tens of thousands of Kyrgyz have settled, jokingly referred to as the eighth region of Kyrgyzstan. Many of them have not managed to legalize their status.
— Kyrgyz work in a wide variety of fields, — says Adilet, who became a US citizen and lives in Chicago. — Under Biden's administration, it was easier to obtain documents — work permits and driver's licenses. With these documents, one could study for a CDL to work as a truck driver, as this job pays well.
WHAT IS BEHIND THE TIGHTENING?
The situation changed after a car accident in Florida on August 12, when a truck driven by a migrant of Indian descent was involved in an accident that resulted in three fatalities. The driver, who was allegedly in an illegal status, had CDLs issued in California and Washington.
After this tragedy, the Trump administration suspended the issuance of CDLs to foreigners.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced a suspension of work visas for those who want to drive trucks. As a result, the Department of Transportation ruled that CDLs would not be issued without American citizenship, a green card, or a work visa, and immigration status checks became mandatory.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged state authorities: “Licenses to operate heavy vehicles were often issued to foreign drivers without meeting the necessary requirements. This poses a threat to road safety. The new measures are aimed at preventing the issuance of such licenses”.
Utkur Rahmatullaev, a former Uzbek who became a US citizen and helps migrants with legalization, notes that attempts to tighten the rules began even before the accident in Florida. In April, Trump signed an order making English language proficiency mandatory for all commercial drivers.
“Knowledge of English is a matter of safety, — the document stated. — Drivers must understand road signs and be able to communicate with police and transportation services”.
— It was planned to punish those who speak English poorly, and eventually revoke their licenses, — explains Utkur Rahmatullaev. — But implementing this became difficult, as laws vary in different states. In August, an accident occurred involving a migrant from India, and the public reacted significantly to this. As a result, the government began to take stricter measures.
In recent days, videos have appeared on social media showing migrant truck drivers being checked at weigh stations and detained.
— Now everything has become much more complicated, — emphasizes Adilet. — They say they want to revoke CDLs issued based on work permits. It is unclear if they will do this, but discussions are already underway. Immigration police are conducting active raids, detaining people based on their appearance, even US citizens. The police's task is to detain and send people to detention, where their documents are checked. Many Kyrgyz are stopping work on trucks and surrendering their vehicles. Drivers are being detained at weigh stations, especially in states close to the border with Mexico. Many prefer not to take risks and are looking for other jobs. The number of our drivers has significantly decreased. If one has citizenship or a green card, they must constantly carry their passport to avoid deportation.
IS THERE A WAY OUT?
The new measures to tighten rules in the freight transportation sector may be an attempt to push out migrants, experts believe.
— Is there data showing that migrants are involved in more accidents than local drivers? From what I know, this is not the case. The administration uses this argument for its own purposes, creating a negative image of migrants, — comments immigration specialist Marina Sokolovskaya.
She is confident that the situation is not hopeless. The industry will be able to adapt to the changes, and migrants will find new opportunities for work.
— Many are asking how to earn money, but no one is cutting them off from other professions. People mistakenly believe that without Russian-speaking migrants, this industry will collapse. However, it existed long before the borders opened. By 2022, when the borders opened for people from the former Soviet republics, there were already many Russian-speaking companies and schools where one could study in their language, — she explains.
Some migrants also share this view. The changes may pose a serious challenge for those who came to work as truck drivers, but they may also stimulate them to legalize and seek stable employment.
— There are also smaller trucks that do not require a CDL to operate. Many can try their hand in this area, — believes Umar Jusupbekov, head of the Kyrgyz diaspora in Chicago.
Migrants can find alternative employment paths, he adds.
— In difficult situations, people strive for improvement and begin to learn new professions, — summarizes Jusupbekov.
