A division has been created with a byline block where Gagandeep Singh is the contributor, reporting from Stockton, California. In this block, there is an image of a truck driver with a long white beard sitting behind the wheel in his truck cab. He is wearing a yellow safety vest and a black turban. Through the window, another green truck can be seen.
Under the truck driver’s image, there is a text block discussing the role of Sikhs in America’s trucking industry. They have become a significant part of this essential sector, delivering goods across the country. However, a crash in Florida and its aftermath have caused concern within the Sikh trucking community.
Many Sikhs in the United States, approximately 750,000, work in the trucking industry, mostly as drivers. The importance of their role in the industry is evident from the names on their trucks’ doors and the curry served at rest stops along the west coast.
Due to limited English skills but years of driving experience, some drivers face difficulties with stricter language requirements for commercial drivers. In response, Sikh temples are offering language classes to help drivers pass their language tests.
On 12th August, a fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike caused concern within the Sikh trucking community. Harjinder Singh, an Indian-born truck driver, made a U-turn, collided with a minivan, and killed three people. The Department of Homeland Security claims that Harinder entered the US without legal papers and obtained a legitimate work permit in California. He faces manslaughter and vehicular homicide charges in Florida and has been denied bail. His arraignment is scheduled for the end of September.
The crash’s repercussions include Secretary of State Marco Rubio pausing the issuance of work visas for foreigners looking to become commercial truck drivers in the United States. Additionally, there is an increase in harassment against Sikh drivers in the industry.
Gurpratap Singh Sandhu, who runs a Sacramento-based trucking company, reveals that his cousin, a US citizen truck driver, faced harassment in Florida due to his ethnicity. Sikhs in the industry are now scared to work in specific areas like Florida, Alabama, and Arkansas because of Immigration and Customs raids.
Law Professor Arjun Sethi believes that using social media and some politicians to target the entire Sikh community is an issue. This rhetoric may lead to violence, and Sikhs have already faced this in the 2012 Wisconsin Sikh Temple mass shooting. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2024
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4rmymrl2ro?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
