A few days ago, a truck driver with an irregular immigration status caused an accident on the Florida Turnpike, causing a private vehicle traveling on the road to crash into the dry van, resulting in the deaths of three passengers.
Following this situation, yesterday on his X account, the Secretary of State of the American Union, Marco Rubio reported: “From now on, we will pause all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.”
This measure has raised concerns among Mexican carriers who employ operators from Mexico with B1 visas, authorized to transport cargo exclusively between Mexico and the United States, without being able to engage in cabotage, that is, connecting two points within the United States.
Israel Delgado, vice president of the Northwest Regional Office of the National Chamber of Cargo Transportation (Canacar) , stated in various messages that this measure does not impact operators entering the United States with B1/B2 visas and International Licenses.
“This measure would only affect operators applying under the H-2B, E-2, and EB-3 visas who plan to work within the United States. The impact is intended to protect the jobs of American commercial vehicle drivers within the United States,” he explained.
H-2B visas are defined for temporary non-agricultural workers, the E-2 is for investors from treaty countries who wish to work in the United States in their businesses, while the EB-3 is for workers seeking permanent residence and is divided into professionals, skilled workers, and other workers.
This measure by the United States government is the second action against trucking operators who do not have that nationality and, according to specialists, seeks to protect jobs for American workers .
Last April, the Trump administration issued an executive order requiring all motor carrier operators operating in the United States to be proficient in English .
As T21 reported, the move to require English has caused several operators, both in California and Texas, to be out of service, unable to continue their journey to their destination.
According to data from the United States Department of Commerce , trade between Mexico and its northern neighbor in the first half of the year reached 432.553 billion dollars (mdd) , of which 264.382 billion dollars were exports to the United States, and imports from Mexico totaled 168.170 billion dollars , consolidating itself as the main commercial partner of the United States.
Motor transport is the primary mode of trade between the two countries, with the Laredo border port being the most significant, capturing 39.5% of the total . In the first half of 2025, Laredo recorded trade of more than $175 billion, an increase of 5.7% compared to the same period in 2024.
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