Texas has made an important decision that affects some immigrants who work in the transport industry. According to the new rules, three groups of immigrants could no longer obtain commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) nor commercial learner’s permits in the state. As it’s obvious, this measure has made drivers, transport companies, and supporters of working rights worried. So, let’s see why this is happening with this new measure.
New rules in Texas
The new rule follows a federal emergency rule established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This rule indicates that only non-citizens with employment-based visas and verified legal status can qualify for a CDL. This means that some groups who could obtain these licenses before, now can be excluded. Among them we can find:
- DACA beneficiarias.
- International refugees.
- People under asylees program.
Even those who had qualified under federal protections can no longer receive these licenses. And all pending applications for these groups are canceled, and there will be no renewals or new tests for them.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) says this rule is meant to prevent fraudulent applications and keep Texas roads safer.
Impact on the transport industry
This decision affects individual drivers, the transport industry, and logistics in Texas. You should know that this state is one of the largest freight hubs in the U.S., and DACA recipients make up over 2% of the commercial driving workforce. Even though this percentage seems small, these workers have important positions, especially in rural areas where the lack of drivers is serious.
The main concern about this new rule is the possibility of increasing the lack of drivers in the industry. What’s more, there are other recent measures in Texas, like stricter English proficiency tests and more detailed document verification for CDL exams.
Texas defends these measures because they can improve road safety, but many critics consider it has political motivations and it affects legal workers who depend on these licenses.
Political debate and reactions
The measure has started a national debate about immigration and working rights. Also, it follows recent changes federal wise, like the new rules about H-1B visas.
Many immigrants who have been working in transport for years could lose their jobs due to this law. In addition, they fear this change generates more exclusions in Texas in the future.For now, the affected people will lose the possibility of obtaining the CDL, but not other licenses or benefits.
A few years ago, when Texas started to reject vehicle license plates, more than 2,000 applications were denied and it’s happening the same now with commercial licenses.
Immigrant groups affected
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the three groups that will be affected by this change are:
- DACA recipients: Young immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and were allowed to work legally.
- Refugees: People seeking international protection due to persecution or violence in their home countries.
- Asylees: Individuals who receive temporary protection in the U.S. because of serious threats in their country of origin.
These people could no longer work or earn money in transport industries that require a CDL. It also affects sectors that are already facing labor shortages, which makes the operation of logistic and transport companies more difficult.
So, you can see the new Texas law has a significant impact on CDL for many immigrants and the transport industry. While the state defends the measure because of road safety and fraud prevention, many people believe it has political motivations that affect many legal workers. What do you think about this measure? Is it positive or not for Texas citizens?