California is set to cancel the commercial driver’s licenses of 17,000 immigrants whose immigration status has expired or will expire, officials said Wednesday.
Newsweek contacted the U.S. Department of Transportation via email and the Governor of California’s office via phone outside usual working hours for comment.
Why It Matters
California’s plan to revoke thousands of commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants follows heightened criticism from President Donald Trump’s administration regarding California and other states for issuing commercial licenses to individuals in the country illegally or whose immigration status had lapsed.
The issue drew public scrutiny in August after a crash involving a truck driver without legal U.S. status killed three people in Florida.
It is set to cause ripple effects on businesses and communities that depend on commercial drivers. The owner of one major trucking firm, FBT Incorporated, told KGET.com he was set to lose 50 drivers because of the measures.
What To Know
California announced the plans after discovering that the licenses had expiration dates extending beyond the period of authorized U.S. residency for the holders.
State law requires such licenses to expire no later than the end of the person’s lawful U.S. status, according to statements from Governor Gavin Newsom’s office and the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Following an audit spearheaded by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, California’s DMV reviewed its licensing program and identified widespread discrepancies involving the alignment of license expiration dates and immigration authorization periods.
New federal requirements introduced in September now restrict commercial driver’s license eligibility to three visa categories: H-2A, H-2B, and E-2. H-2a concerns temporary agricultural workers; H-2b, temporary nonagricultural workers; and E-2 pertains to those who make substantial investments in a U.S. business.
According to The Associated Press, these rules are expected to reduce the number of eligible noncitizen drivers in California from approximately 200,000 to 10,000, though the new criteria are not retroactive and will only apply to future applicants.
Munmeeth Kaur, legal director of the Sikh Coalition, said that her organization has filed suit in Washington, D.C., temporarily blocking the order from the Department of Transportation
What People Are Saying
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, according to AP: “After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed. Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked.”
Gavin Newsom’s office said that all affected drivers previously had valid federal work authorizations and that the revocation is in response to state law requirements for expiration alignment.
Newsom spokesperson Brandon Richards accused Duffy of “spreading falsehoods” regarding California’s compliance standards, per AP.
Dave Laut, owner of FBT Incorporated in Bakersfield, told KGET.com: “I don’t know what the plan is. We are shocked because we just got sudden calls and letters from many drivers saying, ‘Oh, we only have 60 days left.’ … One driver has been on the road for 15 years, driving safely with a good record, and how can we say this driver is no good, it’s unsafe.”
Bakersfield City Councilmember Manpreet Kaur said, per KGET.com: “In a time when we are struggling to have and keep jobs in our region, in Kern County and Bakersfield, a lot of these federal policies and forms of discrimination that are coming down are doing the exact opposite of what our region needs.”
Munmeeth Kaur said, per KGET.com: “We’re hoping that the California government will clarify and rescind revoking the licenses.”
What Happens Next
The state has provided affected drivers with a 60-day window to adjust their legal status or face license loss.
Legal pushback has temporarily blocked immediate revocation, as courts consider the challenge brought by the Sikh Coalition and other advocates.
If California does not comply with federal requirements, the U.S. Department of Transportation has threatened to withhold up to $160 million in federal funding, with a prior $40 million already at risk over English language enforcement for drivers.
