California to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses

California officials announced Wednesday that the state will invalidate roughly 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants after discovering that many of the licenses carried expiration dates extending beyond the period the drivers were authorized to remain in the United States. The decision comes amid intense criticism from the Trump administration, which has repeatedly accused California and other states of improperly issuing commercial licenses to immigrants lacking long-term legal status.

The issue gained national attention in August after a truck driver who was not authorized to be in the U.S. executed an illegal U-turn in Florida and caused a fatal crash that killed three people. Following that incident, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pressed California to review its licensing practices. The state initially defended its standards, but began an audit after Duffy raised concerns.

Duffy argued Wednesday that the revocations prove California was in the wrong. He accused Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration of misleading the public and suggested that many more improperly issued licenses might still be active. He vowed to continue pressuring the state, saying he intends to ensure that “every illegal immigrant” is removed from positions driving commercial trucks and school buses.

Newsom’s office pushed back, asserting that every driver whose license is being revoked held valid federal work authorization. Initially, the governor’s staff declined to detail the exact statutory issue behind the mass revocation, saying only that it violated state law. Later, officials clarified the relevant law: California requires that commercial licenses expire no later than the date an individual’s legal U.S. presence ends, as reported to the DMV. In these cases, officials said, the licenses had been issued with expiration dates exceeding those limits.

Newsom spokesperson Brandon Richards blasted Duffy’s remarks, accusing him of spreading exaggerations and false claims for political gain.

The controversy comes after a series of deadly trucking incidents involving drivers lacking legal immigration status in Texas, Alabama, and California. These incidents have fueled growing questions about whether states are properly vetting commercial license applicants.

Duffy previously introduced new federal restrictions making commercial licenses far more difficult for immigrants to obtain. Under rules announced in September, only holders of three specific visa categories — H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 — will qualify. States must now verify applicants’ immigration information through a federal database, and licenses will last no more than one year or expire sooner if the visa does. Duffy has said these rules are necessary because audits suggested widespread problems. In one California review, investigators found that roughly one in four licenses examined should not have been issued, including instances where licenses stayed valid years after a worker’s permit had lapsed.

The Biden administration’s shutdown delayed audits in several other states, but California remains the only state Duffy has formally penalized. He already withheld $40 million in federal funds, arguing the state had failed to enforce English-language requirements for truckers, and he threatened to pull an additional $160 million unless every improperly issued license is revoked and all compliance issues are addressed. California says the current revocations are part of meeting those demands.

Although the new federal rules were not in effect when the 17,000 licenses were first issued, California has given those drivers notice that their licenses will expire in 60 days. Meanwhile, Newsom’s office maintains the state followed guidance from the Department of Homeland Security at the time the licenses were granted.

SOURCE: NBC NEWS