For 15 years, Sumit Singh has been hauling cargo to and from the ports of Los Angeles and across the country.
However, for the first time, the Punjabi Sikh truck driver now doesn’t want to leave the country. Three of his colleagues have been detained by immigration officers, and new truck horror stories are popping up every day in his Whatsapp group chat.
“A lot of drivers are scared right now,” Singh said.
Punjabi drivers say they are being harassed following the arrest of Harjinder Singh, 28, an Indian-born truck driver who allegedly made an illegal U-turn, causing an accident that killed three people in Florida.
The incident sparked online vitriol against the Sikh community and turned into a political shouting match over illegal immigration and the qualifications and testing of international truck drivers.
The Department of Homeland Security is blaming California because the driver accused of causing the accident obtained his commercial driver’s license and work permit in the state.
According to DHS, Harjinder Singh had obtained commercial driver’s licenses in Washington and California despite failing an English fluency test. The U.S. Marshals Service said he entered the U.S. illegally through Mexico in 2018.
“The entire community should not be punished just because of one person,” said driver Sumit Singh. “Drivers don’t feel comfortable on the road.”
He said he hears that Punjabis are now being targeted for impromptu English proficiency tests at highway checkpoints and weigh stations.
Most Sikhs are from the northern state of Punjab in India. Many sport turbans, which are often brightly colored and tied to cover their uncut hair. Their turbans and beards are important symbols of their faith and culture.
Sukhwinder Singh Sidhu, right, is a member of the Stockton Gurdwara and a truck driver.
(Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
Singh is a common surname in the Sikh community, and none of the people mentioned in this story are related.
Thousands of Punjabi Sikh truck drivers and operators, who form the backbone of American commerce, feel threatened by increased scrutiny.
Advocacy groups say there have been concerns about threats and safety concerns since the Florida incident.
Sikh-owned trucking companies, already struggling with a slowdown in the industry due to rising tariffs, now face a new challenge. Drivers are reluctant to travel on interstate highways for fear of losing their livelihoods due to increased inspections.
There are about 750,000 Punjabi Sikhs in the United States. Of those, about 150,000 work in the trucking industry, and the majority are based on the West Coast, according to Harman Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the U.S.
There is a national network of Sikhs who also work in the fields adjacent to trucking, from truck stop Indian restaurants to trucking schools and logistics companies.
Trucking culture is so deep in India, as well as North America, that it has spawned its own genre of Punjabi music. High-energy dance numbers with titles like “ Driver’s Life” and “ Trucker.”
Šis ir vissmagākais laika posms gadu desmitos biznesam, sacīja 52 gadus vecais Baldevs Khangs, Fontanas bāzēto Cargo Solutions Express finanšu un operāciju direktors.
Viņa bizness ir saskāries ar nelabvēlīgu notikumu kaskādi: kopējais pārvadājumu palēnināšanās dēļ palielinātu tarifu dēļ, papildu 50% tarifu, kas vērsts uz Indijas importu, un tagad viņa vadītāji tiek mērķēti, jo viņiem ir licences no Kalifornijas.
“Daudzi autovadītāji nevēlas doties pāri ceļam,” sacīja Khang, izmantojot terminu, kas nozīmē darbavietas, kas autovadītājiem prasa šķērsot stāvokļa līnijas. “Viņi dod priekšroku vietējam darbam.”
Trīs no viņa sikhu kravas automašīnu vadītājiem tika arestēti pēdējās nedēļās, sacīja Khang. Viņa firma pārvalda 1000 kravas automašīnas, kas piegādā kravas Walmart, Amazon un citām.
Viņš sacīja, ka viņa Somālijas un Meksikas autovadītāji arī izvairās no ceļiem.
Tikai šonedēļ pieci no viņa Pendžabi autovadītājiem atteicās no bailēm tikt mērķētam. Viņš sacīja, ka visiem tiem, kas izstājās, bija derīgas darba atļaujas, ko izsniedza Kalifornija, taču bija noraizējušies, dzirdot, ka cilvēki ar Kalifornijas dokumentiem tiek uzmākti Oklahomā, Teksasā un Floridā.
Citas bažas par imigrantu kravas automašīnu vadītājiem ir bijusi angļu valodas prasmes pārbaude, kas nepieciešama komerciālo kravas automašīnu vadītājiem.
Aprīļa beigās prezidents Trumps izdeva izpildrakstu, kurā teikts, ka kravas autovadītāji, kuri nevar runāt vai lasīt valodu, ir nederīgi apkalpošanai. Rīkojumā teikts, ka, lai amerikāņu ceļi būtu drošībā, ir nepieciešama izpratne par ceļa zīmēm, sazināties ar robežu patruļu vai atbildēt uz jautājumiem kontrolpunktos.
Šis jautājums parādījās publiskās debatēs, kad Trumpa administrācija paziņoja, ka Floridas negadījuma autovadītājs pēc incidenta neizdevās veikt angļu valodas prasmes pārbaudi.
Pēc avārijas valsts sekretārs Marco Rubio izdeva iesaldēšanu ārvalstu darbinieku vīzām komerciālo kravas automašīnu vadītājiem.
Sikhu pielūgšanas vietās Stoktonā kopiena ir iniciējusi kravas automašīnu vadītāju angļu valodas nodarbības, sacīja Ramans Dhillons, Ziemeļamerikas Pendžabi pārvadājumu asnā izpilddirektors, kurā ir 2500 dalībnieku.
Dhillons paziņoja, ka komerciālā autovadītāja apliecību pārbaudes sistēma Kalifornijā ir kļūdaina, un saudzējošie izpildes standarti autovadītajās skolās ir noveduši pie tā, ka DMV ir pārāk viegli izsnieguši licences darba īpašniekiem.
“Jūs šobrīd kliedzat uz cilvēkiem. Jūs šobrīd kliedzat uz sabiedrību,” sacīja Dhillons. “Kas viņiem ļāva to izdarīt? Tas ir jūsu DMVS. Tās ir jūsu valstis.”
Pat vatēdējot par reformu, Dhillon Singh kritizēja Floridas politiķus, tostarp leitnantu Džeju Kolinsu, par to, ka Harjinder Singh sauca par “slepkavu”, un sacīja, ka retorikas veids, kas apņem notikušo, negodīgi grauj sikhu kopienu.
In one case, he recalled, a Sikh driver waiting at a truck stop was being harassed, and when he called 911, police officers showed up and asked the driver to leave.
“They’re throwing water bottles at trucks. They’re throwing eggs at trucks,” Dhillon Singh said. “That’s all a byproduct of what Florida did with this thing.”
Since the Florida case, the Sikh Coalition, a civil rights organization, has fielded dozens of calls from Sikh truck drivers asking for help, some reaching out to access language resources.
“We fully recognize that common sense safety measures are needed to protect people on the road,” said Harman Singh. “And at the same time, what we want to do is make sure that roadside inspectors are not profiling Sikh and Punjabi truck drivers because they look like they don’t speak English because of their visible religious writings.”
