On 30 Apr, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers that directs Department of Transportation (DoT) Secretary Sean Duffy to tighten roadside checks so every commercial truck driver must read traffic signs, answer public inquiries, and complete records in English. The order states English is the national language and existing federal rules on driver English proficiency have not been strictly enforced. The Sikh Political Action Committee predicts around 150K Sikhs work in the US trucking industry. The Sikh Coalition said it is ‘deeply concerned’ the new inspections could block Sikh and other immigrant drivers and asked the DoT to consult affected communities before issuing guidance. Industry associations asked for reasonable timelines and federal help with language training. The DoT has not released an implementation schedule. Meanwhile, more than 100 attorneys planned to leave the US Justice Department civil rights division by the 29 Apr deferred‑resignation deadline after political leaders reopened the programme. New division chief Harmeet Kaur Dhillon said the office will apply federal civil rights statutes and welcomed the departures by staff who prefer police consent decrees. Current and former lawyers said existing personnel handled investigations into policing, voting, and housing that may slow down significantly or close. Meanwhile, a judge of the Southern District of New York ruled that Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was not served a summons in Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun’s civil suit when Doval visited Washington on 12–13 Feb. Secret Service agents blocked two attempts to serve Pannun’s civil suit summons at Blair House checkpoints. One server left documents at a Starbucks 100 feet away but the court found service incomplete because papers were not given to hotel staff or security as required. The suit alleges an assassination plot involving Indian national Vikash Yadav. Meanwhile, in response to the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and tensions between India-Pakistan, on 1 May Pannun posted a video telling Sikh soldiers not to fight if the two countries go to war and said Sikhs should serve langar (community kitchen) to Pakistani troops (earlier coverage).
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