Trump will sign an executive order requiring truck drivers operating on American roads to have English communication skills. White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said at a press conference on the 28th that the purpose of this order is to address communication problems among truck drivers and ensure public safety. She pointed out, "We will ensure that our truck drivers can speak English, which is a very commonsensical policy in the United States."
In addition, the Trump administration also plans to require truck drivers to pass English reading and writing ability tests to further enhance road safety. This policy is considered one of the latest measures by the Trump administration in immigration enforcement.
This policy has sparked extensive controversy. Critics believe that it may have an unfair impact on immigrant groups with limited English proficiency, restricting their employment opportunities.
Comment: The number of illegal immigrants in the United States is large, with some entering the labor market through underground channels. The transportation industry, with relatively low thresholds, has become a choice for many illegal immigrants. By enforcing English communication and reading/writing tests, it can accurately "filter" out illegal immigrant practitioners with weak English skills. These people will find it difficult to meet the requirements in the short term and can only be forced to leave the truck driver position, thereby weakening the survival space of illegal immigrants in the U.S.
From the perspective of law enforcement, the English test provides relevant departments with a "reasonable" enforcement entry point. In the past, verifying the identity of illegal immigrants often faced problems such as complex procedures and great controversy. Using the reason of insufficient English proficiency for inspections and penalties is relatively easy to operate. It can avoid direct "hard confrontation" causing public controversy while effectively reducing the concentration of illegal immigrants in the transportation industry.
At the same time, this policy also has the intention of "making an example of someone." By implementing English requirements in the truck driver industry, a signal is sent to other industries and illegal immigrants - the U.S. government has zero tolerance for illegal immigrant employment. Subsequent policies may set similar thresholds in more fields. This will make illegal immigrants feel panic and choose to leave voluntarily, achieving the purpose of reducing the number of illegal immigrants without large-scale deportation.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830695023072263/
Disclaimer: The article represents the views of the author alone.