California plans to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants after state officials said the licenses extended beyond the drivers’ legally authorized time in the United States.
The move follows criticism from U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy, who said the state acted improperly in granting licenses to people in the country illegally. Duffy announced the revocations, saying in a press release that California had been “caught red-handed” after previously claiming it did nothing wrong.
“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,” Duffy said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses.”
The Department of Transportation said notices have been issued to all 17,000 non-domiciled commercial driver’s license holders, informing them that their licenses will expire in 60 days and no longer meet federal requirements. Duffy also said California could lose an additional $160 million in federal highway funds if the state does not comply fully.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office pushed back, saying the drivers whose licenses are being revoked had valid work authorizations at the federal level. Officials initially stated that the revocations were due to violations of state law, which requires licenses to expire on or before the date a person’s legal status to remain in the United States ends. Later, Newsom’s office clarified that the law being cited applies to the expiration date of licenses in relation to immigration status.
“Once again, the Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth — spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his dear leader,” Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for Newsom, said in a statement, per NBC.
The Transportation Department has previously audited California’s licensing system and found that more than one in four non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses sampled were issued improperly, sometimes remaining valid for years beyond a driver’s work authorization, according to the press release. Duffy previously cited prior fatal crashes involving truck drivers in the country illegally, including a recent Florida crash that killed three people.
California and five other states had previously issued commercial driver’s licenses to noncitizens, according to Duffy, but California is the first state where the audit was completed. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has urged other states to tighten their licensing standards, although reviews in those states have been delayed due to a government shutdown.
Duffy also said in September that new rules for commercial driver’s licenses make it much harder for immigrants to qualify. Only holders of H-2a, H-2b, or E-2 visas, for temporary agricultural, nonagricultural, or investment-based work, will now be eligible, and licenses will expire in line with visa validity. Existing drivers outside these categories will be permitted to retain their licenses until the next renewal.
The announcement has reignited debate over safety and fairness. Federal officials opened a public comment period in October on a proposed rule to restrict noncitizen access to commercial licenses nationwide, citing “dangerous loopholes” in existing state practices, The Dallas Express reported. Thousands of comments have been submitted, with mixed reactions; some emphasize road safety, while others focus on fairness for immigrant drivers.
“This is a direct threat to the safety of every family on the road, and I won’t stand for it,” Duffy said when announcing emergency measures in September, per DX.