CHANDIGARH: US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently visited the residence of prominent Punjabi-American businessman and philanthropist Darshan Singh Dhaliwal in Mequon, near Milwaukee, where he met Darshan and his younger brother, Charanjit Singh Dhaliwal. The discussions focused on issues affecting Indian-origin truck drivers from Punjab and transportation businesses across the United States.
The visit came at a crucial time, as US authorities are cracking down on alleged illegal truck operators. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently faced widespread condemnation and criticism over an AI-generated, Transformers-style social media post depicting a turbaned Sikh man identified as “Mr Singh”, alongside the slogans “America for Americans”, “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive, Mr Singh” and “Self-deport or find out”.
The meeting with Duffy provided an important platform to raise concerns of the Indian-origin trucking community at the senior federal level. The discussion centred on the difficulties facing drivers and business owners from Punjab and on strengthening communication between the community and the US administration.
During the meeting, the Dhaliwal brothers, who are the brothers of former Punjab Cabinet minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Surjit Singh Rakhra, noted that a substantial number of Indian families from Punjab in the United States depend directly or indirectly on trucking and transportation for their livelihoods.
They emphasised that Punjab-origin drivers and entrepreneurs have made an important contribution to the American economy through their hard work and enterprise, and that their concerns and business needs deserve due consideration in policy discussions affecting the sector.
They also highlighted the Punjabi community’s significant contribution to the American transportation sector and drew Duffy’s attention to regulatory, operational and business-related difficulties affecting those engaged in trucking. They emphasised the need for sustained and constructive dialogue between policymakers and the community.
The meeting provided an opportunity for community representatives to communicate the aspirations and challenges of Punjabi transport professionals directly to a senior member of the US administration.
