California to Revoke Thousands of Commercial Driver’s Licenses

California is set to revoke around 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants. This decision follows concerns raised by the Trump administration about illegal licensing for those driving semi-trucks and buses. However, Governor Gavin Newsom claims that the revocation is based on violations of state law, though he hasn’t elaborated on the specifics.

Both the Democratic governor’s office and the Republican Trump administration’s Department of Transportation acknowledge that these licenses do not meet existing standards. This comes after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy tightened regulations following a nationwide audit triggered by a tragic incident in Florida where an illegal U-turn by a driver resulted in three fatalities.

Earlier incidents involving truck crashes in Texas and Alabama have also drawn scrutiny towards these licenses. Concerns amplified when a recent crash in California, involving an undocumented driver, led to another three deaths.

California transportation officials have not responded to inquiries about the reasons behind the revocations.

Secretary Duffy stated that California’s decision to revoke these licenses confirms that the state acted improperly, even though it had previously defended its licensing practices. In light of Duffy’s concerns, California has started reviewing the state-issued commercial licenses.

Duffy had previously introduced stricter eligibility criteria for immigrants seeking these licenses. He pointed out that California and several other states were wrongly issuing commercial driver’s licenses to non-citizens, with California being the first to undergo a complete audit, prompting Duffy to take action. While other states are still behind due to a government shutdown, the Department of Transportation is urging all states to enhance their standards.

He also mentioned that California stands to lose $40 million in federal funds for not enforcing English language requirements for truck drivers and could be liable for an additional $160 million over the improperly issued licenses, unless all illegal licenses are revoked and issues addressed. Yet, revoking these licenses appears to be part of a broader effort by the state to comply.

Duffy remarked, “After weeks of insisting they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California were caught red-handed. Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued truck licenses have been revoked.” He emphasized that his team will ensure that California can demonstrate it has removed all illegal immigrants from its commercial driving roles.

Newsom’s office stated that all drivers whose licenses are being revoked hold valid work authorizations from the federal government.

Responding to Duffy, Newsom’s spokesperson, Brandon Richards, criticized the Secretary for spreading falsehoods in a misguided attempt to appease political leadership.

Newly announced rules for commercial driver’s licenses make it significantly harder for immigrants to obtain them, limiting eligibility to only three specific types of visa holders. States will now be required to verify an applicant’s immigration status against a federal database. These licenses, valid for up to one year, are contingent on the holder’s visa not expiring sooner.

Under these regulations, only about 10,000 of the 200,000 non-citizen commercial license holders will find themselves eligible, specifically those on H-2a, H-2b, or E-2 visas—designations for temporary agricultural and non-agricultural workers, as well as significant investors in U.S. businesses. Importantly, the new rules won’t be retroactive; thus, the remaining 190,000 drivers can maintain their licenses until it’s time for renewal.

At the time these 17,000 licenses were issued, the current requirements hadn’t yet come into play. However, affected drivers have been notified that their licenses will expire within 60 days.

Duffy revealed in September that investigations revealed a quarter of the 145 licenses audited in California were issued in error. He provided instances of California licenses that remain valid even after the driver’s work permit had expired.

Newsom’s office maintains that the state is adhering to federal guidance from the Department of Homeland Security concerning the issuance of these licenses to non-citizens.