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EXCLUSIVE: Landing a good-paying “second-chance” job is one of the biggest challenges reformed ex-convicts face when trying to reintegrate into society, former New York Giants safety and humanitarian activist Jack Brewer told Fox News Digital.
In that context, Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s order barring illegal immigrants and certain visa holders from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses – issued after a deadly crash on Florida’s Turnpike – is exactly the kind of action U.S. citizens and others seeking meaningful job opportunities need, he said.
Brewer leads the Jack Brewer Foundation – which works with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men to help them reintegrate into society, provides food and shelter for the needy worldwide and brings attention to the epidemic of U.S. fatherlessness.
“It’s about time we stop visas for commercial truck drivers. There are Americans – men ready, trained and eager to work – who want these jobs, yet they face enormous barriers because of criminal records or bureaucratic restrictions,” Brewer said.
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Rubio issued the order Thursday after an illegal immigrant trucker allegedly caused a deadly crash on Florida’s Turnpike.
Brewer said too many Americans are blocked from stable work:
“Many can’t get good jobs. It’s almost impossible for them to sign a lease or even rent a place to live. They carry that stigma forever.”
Brewer cited federal figures showing 19 million felons live in the U.S., with 77 million total Americans overall impacted in some way by the criminal justice system – nearly one-third of the working-age population.
“And these are U.S. citizens,” he said. “Take CDL licenses as an example. There are CDL programs in prisons all across the country where men train for years to drive trucks. Yet when they get out, they’re blocked from those jobs because of probation rules and regulations.”
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Brewer said the wreck – allegedly involving Indian national Harjinder Singh, who fled to California before being extradited back – underscores why U.S. citizens must once again be prioritized.
He noted that the decedents in that crash could’ve been family or staff of his foundation.
“I know the prisons in that area, I know the men coming out of them, and I know how hard it is for them to get jobs,” he added.
Rubio ordered Thursday that “all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers” would be paused, citing safety concerns and the “undercutting [of] livelihoods of American truckers.”
That call was echoed by another Floridian, Attorney General James Uthmeier, who announced Monday at the Live Oak weigh station on I-10 in the panhandle that the state will use its 287(g) agreement with ICE to carry out immigration checks at such facilities.
Brewer praised Uthmeier, suggesting other states follow that lead.
“Every driver of a massive semi-truck should have their credentials verified, and only legal U.S. citizens should be trusted with that responsibility,” he said.
Trucking should be only the start, he said – adding that industries across the board should be prioritizing U.S. citizens and particularly those in situations like ex-convicts who have additional hurdles to counter. “Take the shackles off” people who pay taxes and hold citizenship before looking to foreign nationals to fill vacancies, he said.
Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA), added in comments to Fox News Digital that Rubio’s order also destroys the “myth of a truck driver shortage.”
“The misuse of visa programs along with the rise of non-domiciled CDL holders in recent years has fueled a flood of drivers into our country who struggle to operate safely in full compliance with regulations,” Spencer said, adding he also asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to suspend all “non-domiciled” CDL programs.
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