Trump Administration Targets Foreign Labor

The Trump administration is intensifying its efforts against low-cost foreign labor, aligning with what many voters have been calling for as the 2024 election approaches.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Monday that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has taken emergency steps to revoke commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) from 270 schools that failed to meet basic training standards.

“For the past year and a half, USDOT has been working to strengthen road safety regulations and eliminate dangerous foreign drivers from our trucking industry,” Duffy stated. “To completely eradicate fraud, we must hold criminals accountable and enhance safety, and we need federal law enforcement’s support. I appreciate President Trump highlighting this issue and Vice President Vance’s leadership in tackling fraud nationwide. We’re committed to addressing every part of this problem, from states not following regulations to fraudulent training programs.”

In July, USDOT partnered with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to target CDL schools engaged in “fraudulent and illegal practices.” Their investigations revealed that 110 CDL schools were linked to over 5,000 drivers who failed English proficiency tests—an essential requirement for commercial drivers. They need to read road signs and communicate effectively in English.

Furthermore, 160 schools were stripped of their status for not meeting basic training requirements, such as lacking licensed instructors and relying on fictitious classrooms. These institutions were described as self-certified trainers incapable of providing hands-on experience. Notably, one establishment operated classes from a bus located in a backyard.

As a result, these schools are being removed from the federal Training Provider Registry. This means they cannot issue the required entry-level driver training certificates for obtaining a CDL. USDOT also indicated that thousands more providers are being cautioned regarding compliance issues that could lead to certification losses.

The administration’s report shows that USDOT has removed more than 28,000 drivers for failing English proficiency checks and has prompted states to revoke over 30,000 licenses issued illegally to foreign drivers. Additionally, over 8,000 unqualified training schools have been eliminated from the FMCSA registry in the last 18 months.

Several fatal accidents have been attributed to drivers who acquired CDLs improperly. For instance, a tragic incident in August 2025 involved Harjinder Singh, an Indian-born trucker, who made an illegal U-turn, resulting in a crash that killed three people. Following the accident, he faltered in both English and road-sign tests, which called into question the training he had received. Despite failing prior exams multiple times, he obtained his license in Washington and later secured a California CDL.

USDOT used this crash as a basis for auditing non-domiciled CDL programs across the country.

Similar patterns have emerged where illegal immigrants obtained CDLs, sparking a national dialogue on road safety. President Trump, in his 2026 State of the Union address, noted at least 17 fatal accidents occurred in 2025 involving illegal immigrants with CDLs, leading to 30 fatalities.

The other topic of discussion this week isn’t an emergency measure and doesn’t directly impact anyone’s job immediately. However, it addresses a less frequently discussed rule from the Obama administration that allowed noncitizen spouses of H-1B visa holders to work legally in the U.S. DHS has recently added a long-term action to its agenda regarding the potential removal of H-4 dependent spouses from the classes eligible for employment authorization.

Unlike previous actions, DHS hasn’t published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for this issue yet. Listing it on the Unified Agenda is viewed as the initial step to notify Congress and other stakeholders of the administration’s intentions.

During the Obama era, DHS utilized its regulatory power to permit certain H-4 spouses to work in the U.S., circumventing Congressional approval. The primary reasoning was to alleviate financial burdens on households facing green card backlogs, particularly for nationals from India and China. According to the previous administration, this rule opened the workforce to around 180,000 spouses in its first year alone. Data from USCIS indicate that tens of thousands of these spouses receive employment approvals annually.

As the national discourse around prioritizing American workers intensifies, many believe the Trump administration may finally be responding. The H-1B visa was originally meant to be a temporary solution for specialty occupations. Over time, however, it has led to a pathway for permanent residency. Some H-1B spouses are legally able to work in the U.S. and many even settle down, leading to questions about the temporary nature of these visas.

The Trump administration’s position appears to be that if the H-1B visa is temporary, then families should not access an extended career trajectory that often surpasses the original agreement with the visa holder. It should be noted that ending this eligibility wouldn’t lead to the deportation of H-4 spouses but it would prevent the issuance of new and renewed work permits. Over time, this action could diminish the benefit of relocating entire families if the income from the H-1B holder alone isn’t sufficient to support them.

It seems the Trump administration is considering both viewpoints on immigration. Just five years ago, it would have been inconceivable to think a Republican administration would look to restrict legal immigration in any form. Now, American workers might be on the verge of experiencing significant changes in both illegal and legal immigrant workforce dynamics.