California plans to revoke about 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants after state officials found the licenses had expiration dates that extended beyond the drivers’ authorized period of stay in the United States. The revocations were announced after a review prompted by federal scrutiny over licensing practices for noncitizen drivers.
The decision follows criticism from the Trump administration about states granting commercial licenses to people in the country illegally and intensified public attention after a tractor-trailer driver who was not authorized to be in the U.S. caused a deadly crash in Florida in August. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the revocations show California acted improperly and noted the state had previously defended its practices. California began reviewing commercial licenses after Duffy raised concerns.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office responded that each driver whose license is being revoked had valid federal work authorization. The state initially said the licenses violated state law and later cited the specific requirement that a license expire on or before the date a person’s legal status to be in the U.S. ends, as reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles. A Newsom spokesperson disputed Duffy’s public statements, calling them inaccurate and politically motivated.
Duffy has taken several actions this year. He imposed new federal restrictions that make it harder for immigrants to get commercial driver’s licenses: only holders of H-2A, H-2B or E-2 visas are eligible under the new rules; states must verify immigration status through a federal database; and licenses issued to eligible noncitizens would be valid for up to one year or until the visa expires. H-2A covers temporary agricultural workers, H-2B temporary nonagricultural workers, and E-2 covers investors. Under those rules, roughly 10,000 of about 200,000 noncitizen commercial license holders nationwide would qualify. The rules are not retroactive, so drivers who do not meet the new standards may be allowed to keep their current licenses until they come up for renewal.
Duffy also revoked $40 million in federal highway funding to California, citing concerns including enforcement of English-language requirements for truckers, and warned he could withhold an additional $160 million unless the state invalidates improperly issued licenses and addresses other issues. California is the only state the Transportation Department has acted against so far because it was the first state where a federal audit was completed; reviews in other states have been delayed by a government shutdown.
California sent notices to the 17,000 affected drivers informing them their licenses will expire in 60 days. Duffy has said investigators found problems in a sample review: one-quarter of 145 California commercial licenses examined should not have been issued, and in four cases licenses remained valid years after a driver’s federal work permit had expired. California maintains it issued licenses based on guidance it received from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.