Additional Coverage:
- Kristi Noem claims to be an experienced semi truck driver as she says foreign drivers ‘extremely dangerous’ (irishstar.com)
Homeland Security Secretary Raises Alarm Over Immigrant Truck Drivers, Citing Safety Concerns
Gary, Indiana – Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ignited a fresh wave of controversy Thursday, claiming that placing “foreigners” behind the wheel of semi-trucks poses an “extremely dangerous” threat to American citizens. The former rancher and grandmother, who asserts her own experience driving 18-wheelers, argued that the skill and communication required for operating large commercial vehicles make non-citizens unsuitable for the job.
“Putting them behind the wheel of these tractor-trailers weighing tens of thousands of pounds loaded with explosive fuel down the highway endangers every single citizen that is on our roads,” Noem stated at a press conference in Gary, Indiana.
Her comments continue a months-long campaign by the secretary against immigrants, echoing sentiments from President Donald Trump and his administration regarding undocumented migrants, “No Kings” protestors, and other critics. These statements frequently portray a pervasive “enemy within” that, according to the administration, threatens national security.
Noem’s remarks also follow a series of concerning statements from other high-ranking officials. Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth controversially compared the threat posed by small, allegedly cartel-affiliated boats in the Caribbean to the 9/11 terror attacks.
In August, White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller made unsubstantiated claims that Washington, D.C., was more violent than Baghdad, despite data from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department showing a significant decrease in most major crimes since 2023.
These statements align with a broader administration effort to characterize Democratic-led American cities as hotbeds of violent crime, Trump’s critics as anti-American terrorist networks, and undocumented immigrants as “criminal illegal aliens” who endanger citizens.
The administration has already taken concrete steps to restrict immigrant truck drivers. In August, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered an immediate pause on the issuance of work visas for commercial truck drivers.
This was followed by an emergency regulation in September to drastically reduce the number of driver’s licenses granted to non-citizens, based on claims that immigrants were responsible for three fatal truck crashes. Under this new rule, non-citizens must undergo a mandatory federal immigration status check to be eligible for a truck license.
Most recently, on Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced plans to revoke $160 million in federal funds from California, alleging the state is illegally issuing commercial driver’s licenses to undocumented drivers. “So you have 60,000 people on the roads who shouldn’t have licenses,” Duffy claimed. “They’re driving fuel tankers, they’re driving school buses, and we have seen some of the crashes on American roadways that come from these people who shouldn’t have these licenses.”
However, a spokesperson for the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Eva Spiegel, refuted Duffy’s claims, stating he “has no legitimate basis” to withhold federal funds. Spiegel clarified that California is in compliance with federal regulations, which previously allowed commercial driver’s licenses for asylum seekers and refugees, and has adapted to the emergency regulations enacted on September 29.
Noem’s recent comments are not her first foray into controversial immigration policies. An April report by The Washington Post alleged that she and acting Social Security Administration commissioner Leland Dudek had instructed the SSA to falsely list over 6,000 living immigrants in its database of deceased individuals, an apparent attempt to hinder their ability to earn legal wages and encourage them to leave the country.
Additionally, Noem drew criticism last week for allegedly authorizing the purchase of two new $172 million jets for her and other officials’ travel. House Appropriations Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro and Rep. Lauren Underwood penned a letter to Noem, expressing “deep concern about your judgment, leadership priorities, and responsibility as a steward of taxpayer dollars,” especially during a government shutdown.