What’s at stake:

A December lawsuit filed by the Sikh Coalition and others on behalf of the Jakara Movement and five anonymous immigrant drivers challenges the DMV’s planned cancellation of nearly 20,000 commercial driver’s licenses.

He’s a 56-year-old commercial driver from India living in Fresno who says he’s never even had a speeding ticket after nearly 20 years on the road.

But he’s about to lose his license — and the means to help support his family — because of a federal crackdown on immigrants that triggered a massive purge of commercial drivers licenses (CDLs) in California beginning late last year.

The Fresno man, who asked not to be identified out of fear of the government, says it felt like his heart stopped when he read the letter from the California Department of Motor Vehicles dated Nov. 6. He now only drives part time.

“I was worried about supporting my family,” he said.

He’s just one of nearly 20,000 immigrant drivers whose CDLs are affected by the DMV’s planned cancellations, according to an ongoing lawsuit against the California DMV. 

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The Fresno driver said he held onto hope that the letter was a mistake and believed the government would step in to help. Instead, he described an atmosphere of fear that now follows him everywhere, whether at the store or on the road. 

“We believe in immigrant and workers’ rights, and we hope the lawsuit brings justice,” he said. “We’re hoping this allows people to feel safe again and continue their livelihoods.”

Now, the Fresno man is putting his hopes on the lawsuit filed late last year seeking to block the cancellations and allow drivers more time to address the paperwork issues.

A legal battle for drivers’ livelihoods 

On Thursday morning, representatives of the Jakara Movement, a Fresno-based Sikh cultural organization, gathered at the Modern Truck Parking Lot in northwest Fresno to share updates on their case and its impact on immigrant communities across the Central Valley.

The lawsuit was filed in Alameda County Superior Court in December by the Sikh Coalition, the Asian Law Caucus, and the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP — on behalf of the Jakara Movement and five anonymous immigrant commercial drivers. 

According to the lawsuit, the DMV began sending cancellation notices on Nov. 6 to immigrant commercial drivers whose licenses had expiration dates that did not match their federal work authorization documents. 

“This case is about more than paperwork,” said Naindeep Singh, executive director of the Jakara Movement and current Fresno City Council candidate. “It is about dignity, due process and the fundamental right to work. These drivers followed the rules, passed the exams, and maintained valid work authorizations. They built lives, careers and families around the licenses that the state itself issued.” 

More than 17,000 drivers were told their licenses would be canceled on Jan. 5, with another 2,700 notified in December that their licenses would be revoked in mid-February. Advocates say many of those drivers had valid work permits or were never given a chance to update their records.

Trucks parked at the Modern Truck Parking Lot in northwest Fresno. Gisselle Medina | Fresnoland

The plaintiffs are asking the court to allow this case to be a class action suit, stop the DMV from canceling licenses improperly, declare the November and December cancellation letters invalid, and ensure drivers can get corrected licenses without losing their ability to work. They also seek legal costs and any other relief the court deems fair.

Singh said the organization began hearing from dozens of drivers in November who immigrated from Honduras, El Salvador, India, Mexico, and Punjab, who were feeling confused, scared, and desperate for answers about what was at stake for their families and livelihoods. 

He added that drivers were often given conflicting information by DMV officials, and noted that one member, despite having valid work authorization, was pressured into surrendering his license in person and has yet to be told when, or if, it will be returned.

Singh said a commercial drivers license is “more than a card.” 

“It’s a stability. It’s identity and survival,” Singh said. “When the government takes that away without warning or recourse, it sends a chilling message about whose work is valued and whose lives are treated as expendable. We refuse to accept that message.”

The California DMV has since announced it is extending the licence cancellation date for approximately 20,000 drivers from January to March 6.  

Fresnoland reached out to the California DMV for comment on the lawsuit, the license cancellations, and the agency’s compliance with state and federal law. A spokesperson responded that “the DMV cannot comment on active litigation.” 

State law requires the DMV, when licenses are issued with incorrect expiration dates, to cancel them and allow drivers to reapply or drivers on their own accord can file a renewal application six months prior to expiration. 

The lawsuit alleges the DMV has failed to follow that process, instead canceling licenses outright without providing a timeline or clear path for correction, placing thousands of drivers at risk of losing their livelihoods.

“The timeline matters deeply,” Singh said. “Every week of delay means more families living in fear, more drivers sidelined and more uncertainty rippling through our communities and supply chains.”

How federal actions have also impacted immigrant drivers in Fresno County

The Jakara Movement estimates as many as 5,000 drivers in Fresno County received cancellation notices, of around 15,000 drivers throughout the central San Joaquin Valley.

“Commercial drivers transport our food,” Singh said. “They drive our buses. They keep our ports, warehouses, schools and hospitals functioning. When these workers are abruptly removed from the workforce, everybody feels the impact.”

In November, a federal audit by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that more than 17,000 commercial licenses issued to immigrants in California were set to expire after the drivers’ legal status ended, in violation of state law.

The DMV acknowledged that flaws in its computer systems and internal processes led to commercial driver’s licenses being issued with expiration dates that did not match drivers’ work authorization or legal presence documents.

The audit was launched after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration notified California on Sept. 26, 2025, that the state was not in “substantial compliance” with federal standards for issuing non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses.

Three days later, California stopped issuing and renewing the non-domiciled licenses to comply with new federal rules that narrowed eligibility to specific visa types (H-2A, H-2B, E-2), leading to the planned cancellation of roughly 17,000 licenses. The DMV said it planned to begin issuing corrected licenses in December, but those plans were blocked by the Trump Administration.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said in a Jan. 7 letter that California is not following federal rules for issuing commercial driver’s licenses to non-citizens because the DMV issued thousands of licenses with expiration dates that didn’t match drivers’ work or legal status. Because of this, the federal government is withholding over $150 million in highway funding until the state changes course.

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