The TOI correspondent from Washington: The American dream for 1000's of Sikh immigrants from India is hanging within the stability following a second high-profile, deadly trucking accident involving a driver with a controversial immigration historical past, triggering a wave of scrutiny and worry throughout the Punjabi trucking group. The newest horrific incident occurred Tuesday on a California freeway, the place three folks had been killed, resulting in the arrest of the truck driver on prices of vehicular manslaughter and driving underneath the affect (DUI).The motive force, Jashanpreet Singh, an worker of Sandhu Transport, is reportedly an Indian unlawful immigrant who was launched from border custody by the Biden administration in 2022 – a set off for extra MAGA backlash in opposition to immigrants. In response to police reviews, Singh was driving at excessive pace whereas intoxicated and failed to use the brakes, ensuing within the multi-fatality crash. The identities of the three victims haven't but been established.
This tragedy comes simply months after an analogous incident on August 12 on a Florida Turnpike when one other India-born truck driver, Harjinder Singh, allegedly made an unlawful U-turn in his tractor-trailer, blocking the roadway and inflicting a minivan collision that additionally killed three folks. Authorities allege Harjinder Singh entered the US illegally in 2018 and controversially obtained a industrial driver's license (CDL) regardless of reviews he failed an English proficiency take a look at, highlighting systemic issues over immigrant licensing and regulatory oversight.The back-to-back crashes and the deal with the drivers' authorized standing have forged a shadow over a group that has efficiently carved out a significant area of interest within the US financial system. The most important inflow of Sikhs to the US started within the Eighties and Nineties, with many fleeing anti-Sikh violence in India following prime minister Indira Gandhi's assassination.Trucking emerged as an accessible entry level for these immigrants, a lot of whom arrived with restricted English proficiency and no formal schooling. With annual salaries usually starting from $50,000 to $100,000, with out requiring superior levels or language fluency, long-haul truck driving turned the go-to for a lot of Sikh immigrants.Additionally learn: ‘Arduous to make {dollars} right here': How an Indian-origin man turned ‘killer trucker' in US – what his pal revealedCrucially, the impartial nature of the job permits adherents to totally adjust to the Sikh Articles of Religion, similar to sustaining uncut hair (kesh), sporting a turban (dastar), and carrying a ceremonial dagger (kirpan)—practices usually restricted in different work environments on account of security codes. Sikh drivers have now change into an indispensable part of the nation's provide chain, filling a persistent US driver scarcity projected to hit 174,000 by 2026. The group created a self-sustaining ecosystem: early drivers mentored newcomers, resulting in the formation of household companies, truck stops, and advocacy teams just like the North American Punjabi Trucking Affiliation (NAPTA). In the present day, Sikhs personal an estimated 20% of US trucking companies. The Sikh workforce, comprising about 150,000 whole people (with 135,000 drivers) within the business, represents roughly 4% of the US whole driver pool, together with 40% of West Coast drivers. NAFTA even has a weekly information present, Punjabi Trucking 360, designed particularly for its truckers. Following the accidents and the ensuing media protection, the broader Punjabi trucking group is reporting elevated harassment and fears of being unfairly focused. The actions of two people, significantly these involving allegations of DUI, vehicular manslaughter, and immigration fraud, have amplified MAGA rhetoric questioning the integrity of your entire immigrant driver workforce. After the August crash, the extra educated Sikh driving cohort sought to counter the stereotypes, however they face an uphill process. “Sure, we communicate English. Sure, we perceive the legal guidelines, the roads, the foundations. We got here right here the fitting manner — legally. We respect this land, its folks, and its values. However typically, once we cease at a relaxation space or gasoline station, we really feel the appears to be like — the doubt, the gap. We're judged not by our hearts or our work, however by the errors of some. That hurts… as a result of we're a part of the identical street, the identical dream,” one social media put up learn. However the newest accident might effectively have run over that dream.
