The move follows federal scrutiny from the Trump administration and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over California’s licensing of noncitizen truck drivers.
California officials announced plans to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants after discovering that many were granted expiration dates that extended beyond their legal authorization to remain in the United States.
The decision comes after weeks of criticism from the Trump administration, which accused California and other states of improperly licensing noncitizens for commercial driving.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday the move proves the state “acted improperly” after previously defending its licensing practices.
“After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed,” Duffy said. “Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office disputed Duffy’s claim, asserting that all affected drivers held valid federal work authorizations at the time their licenses were issued. Officials clarified that the revocations are related to a state law requiring licenses to expire on or before an individual’s legal stay in the country ends, as reported by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
“Once again, Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth — spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his dear leader,” said Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for Newsom.
The controversy intensified after several fatal truck crashes in Texas, Alabama, and California involving drivers in the country illegally. The August crash in Florida, where an unauthorized immigrant truck driver made an illegal U-turn, killing three people, pushed the issue into the national spotlight.
In response, Duffy has imposed new federal restrictions on immigrants seeking commercial driver’s licenses, limiting eligibility to those with H-2A, H-2B, or E-2 visas. States will now be required to verify immigration status through federal databases.
According to the Department of Transportation, only 10,000 of the 200,000 noncitizen commercial drivers nationwide would qualify under the new criteria. The rules are not retroactive, meaning the remaining drivers can keep their licenses until renewal.
California officials say they are cooperating with federal audits to avoid further penalties. Duffy has already revoked $40 million in federal funding and warned the state could lose an additional $160 million if it fails to comply.
The revocation notices will go into effect within 60 days, giving affected drivers time to address their legal status or seek new authorization.
