BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Sen. Adam Schiff visited Bakersfield Tuesday to express his support for members of the Sikh community who are truck drivers.
“We were honored to be joined by Sen. Adam Schiff who is visiting California, is able to visit the city of Bakersfield in Kern County and have an intimate roundtable with the Bakersfield trucking community and with the trucking association,” said Bakersfield Vice Mayor Manpreet Kaur who was among the attendees.
Amid increased Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) confrontations, revocation of drivers licenses and perceived racial profiling, Sikh truck drivers welcomed Schiff to the conversation on how to defend their right to drive.
“I’m very concerned about the loss of jobs, the loss of income for families and the degree to which Sikh drivers have to deal with threats from people on the road,” Schiff said.
The senator took questions from truckers and business owners and says he doesn’t want Californians to withhold licenses over fear of punishment from the Trump administration.
“At the federal level, we want to push back and make sure whether it’s in a transportation funding bill or some other mechanism that we can put real constraints on the ability to use and abuse the Department of Transportation to try and punish immigrant communities,” Schiff continued.
For these drivers, it’s one of the hardest times in recent history to feel safe on the road. One driver even said the scrutiny and the racism the Sikh community receives is worse than in the aftermath of 9/11.
“Guys like me that have a turban on, easily targeted, pulled over on the side of the road, you know, usually they are non-domicile, majority of them and getting questioned some of them booked with ICE so there’s quite a few,” Amanpreet Singh, a former trucker and attendee said.
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