California is revoking 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses after an audit revealed they were issued to immigrants who are no longer legally allowed in the United States. The California Department of Transportation confirmed that the licences had been “illegally issued” to drivers without legal status, calling them “dangerous foreign drivers.” The holders of these licences were notified that they would expire in 60 days.
The decision follows a tragic incident in August, where a truck driver without legal status killed three people in Florida. This incident spurred the Trump administration to ramp up efforts to restrict undocumented immigrants from working in the commercial trucking and bus industries. California Governor Gavin Newsom largely dismissed the administration’s announcement, describing it as politically motivated.
The administration has been highly critical of California and other states that have issued driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. “My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses.”
In response, Newsom’s office stated that the drivers whose licenses are being revoked had valid work authorizations from the federal government at the time they received their licenses. The issue arose from incorrect expiration dates on the licenses, violating California law, which mandates that licenses expire in accordance with a person’s legal status in the US.
Newsom’s spokesman, Brandon Richards, criticized Duffy’s remarks, calling them false and politically motivated. “Once again, the Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth,” Richards said, referring to Duffy’s time on the MTV reality show Road Rules.
In September, following the Florida crash, Duffy announced new rules making it more difficult for immigrants to obtain commercial driver’s licenses. These new regulations require states to verify applicants’ immigration status in a federal database and limit licenses to a one-year validity. The Department of Transportation estimated that 97% of “non-domiciled” drivers, approximately 194,000 individuals, will leave the freight market in the coming years. However, with 3.8 million commercial drivers in the country, the department stated that the rules would have a limited economic impact.
The new regulations have been temporarily put on hold by a federal appeals court as a lawsuit filed by a truck driver proceeds through the courts. Newsom’s office pointed out that the new rules were not in effect when the 17,000 licenses were issued.
California remains the only state where a complete audit of commercial driver’s licenses has been conducted. Other state reviews are expected, but have been delayed due to the recent 43-day government shutdown. According to Fremont Contract Carriers, a logistics and transportation company, California is home to more than 130,000 truck drivers, second only to Texas, which has a higher driver population. California also houses the two largest ports in the US and is the top agriculture producer in the country.
