Immigration: California Revoking 17,000 Truck Driver Licenses

Photo St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office

India-West News Desk

SACRAMENTO, CA – After two recent crashes in Florida and California involving truck drivers drew national attention to immigrant drivers’ English proficiency and their legal status, California announced plans to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses issued to noncitizens whose legal stay in the U.S. had expired.

Governor Gavin Newsom’s office confirmed on November 12 that the licenses were being canceled because their expiration dates extended beyond the drivers’ authorized residency. The decision follows weeks of criticism from the Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation, which accused California of mishandling its licensing process.

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said the state’s action was “an admission of guilt” after initially defending its program. “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. He warned that federal investigators would continue auditing California’s trucking sector “to ensure every illegal immigrant is off the road.”

Governor Newsom’s office pushed back, saying all affected drivers had valid federal work authorizations at the time their licenses were issued. Spokesperson Brandon Richards accused Duffy of “spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a desperate attempt to please his dear leader.”

California’s move also responds to new federal rules Duffy introduced in September that sharply restrict who can obtain a commercial driver’s license.

Duffy has already withheld $40 million in federal funds from California for allegedly failing to enforce English-language testing standards for drivers. He has threatened to cut an additional $160 million if the state fails to invalidate the licenses in question.

California officials maintain that their licensing process followed guidance from the Department of Homeland Security. Still, the state has begun notifying affected drivers that their commercial licenses will expire within 60 days.