Trump quiere que tripulaciones mexicanas de trenes en EEUU hablen inglés – Chicago Tribune

By JOSH FUNK

OMAHA, Nebraska, USA. (AP) — Various groups of Mexican drivers who traveled to state-owned railways in Texas had problems understanding important safety information in English during recent inspections ordered by President Donald Trump’s administration.

At times, Union Pacific and CPKC railroads depend on the routine of foreign operators to bring trains to their railroad yards in the United States before changing local machinists and inspectors. The union Hermandad de Maquinistas de Locomotoras y Trabajadores Ferroviarios (BLET, por sus siglas in English) indicated that the reports had to occur exactly on the border. Since that time, the machinists’ union has been concerned about the use of foreign manufacturers due to concerns about safety and employment.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is sending cards to both railroad companies, aiming to review their practices and ensure that Mexican travelers can speak English and not operate a train more than 16 kilometers (10 miles) inland. of the United States.

Union Pacific and CPKC say they have compromised the security and protection guarantee, and are working to ensure security that complies with the rules.

The Trump administration has also taken strong action against truck drivers who don’t speak English, aiming to ensure that drivers can communicate in an emergency and hear crucial instructions.

“If you want to drive an 80-ton truck or a massive cargo train, you need to be proficient in our national language: English,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. “If not, creates an unacceptable security risk.”

The Department of Transportation has clawed back $40 million from California for failing to meet English proficiency requirements, and Duffy has been threatened to penalize several more states by improperly obtaining commercial driving licenses for immigrants who are in the country illegally. This has turned into a major concern after various fatal accidents occur, and people are tricked into transporting trucks driven by immigrants who are not required to have a license.

Tripulaciones have problems understanding security boletines

FRA Administrator David Fink told other railroads they could run into enforcement violations if inspectors encountered more cases of train crews operating in the United States without being proficient in English.

Inspectors found problems at the Union Pacific rail yard in Eagle Pass and the CPKC facility in Laredo.

Union Pacific has a translator available to help with its Mexican trips, but Fink said the train may intend to eliminate it in the future, and inspectors are concerned that they understand the trips, operating rules and required brake tests.

In the CPKC rail yard, Fink said inspectors encounter many cases of operators who have difficulty understanding operating systems, as well as established regulations that require information about hazardous materials and emergency responses to be held in English.

Unions say law must be enforced since time

The workers union and the SMART-TD union representing the inspectors calling for mediation from the Trump administration, because I know the Mexican tripulations are not well maintained and need to hear crucial safety information.

Previously, the machinists’ union also aimed to ease the arrests of Mexican tripulants under surveillance for contraband: one to help migrants cross the border illegally, and the other to try to track drugs into the United States.

“He must congratulate the government of the defender of border security, public safety and employees established for creating the highest security standards for trips that travel from Mexico to the United States,” expressed Mark Wallace, national president of BLET. “It is fundamental that the locomotive operators can address the despachadores and the socorristas in English when the trains move in suelo estadounidense”.

Railways say they will work to follow the rules

“We all have our goals: a secure border that maintains fluidity in the chain of success,” said Kristen South, a spokeswoman for Union Pacific. “Part of ensuring secure operations is good communication.”

Patrick Waldron, spokesperson for the CPKC, said his railway — which operates a continuous red route through Canada, the United States and Mexico — ensures that international border travel does not travel more than 16 kilometers (10 miles) inside estadounidense territory.

“Safety is fundamental to everything we do,” he added.

Union Pacific recognizes and engages trains in its social sector, the FerroMex railroad, on the border. It is stated that moving trips on your railroad 7 miles (11 kilometers) from the Eagle Pass border helps keep cargo moving, as the change was previously on a single-track bridge, forcing rail traffic to slow down. The train will be sent in collaboration with the Oficina de Aduandas y Protección Fronteriza de Estados Unidos (CBP, por sus siglas en inglés) to carry out the change.

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This story was translated into English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.