Thousands of California immigrant truck drivers lose license due to federal crackdown, DMV says

The California Department of Motor Vehicles said Friday that the federal government is requiring them to cancel the commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) of thousands of immigrant truck drivers in the state. (Previous coverage in video player above) According to a release from the California DMV, approximately 13,000 non-domiciled CDLs are being revoked. DMV said non-domiciled people are “those who do not have citizenship or lawful permanent resident status, and includes holders of various visas, refugees, and asylees.” DMV said the not all non-domiciled CDL drivers will be effected by the government’s decision and drivers affected should have already received a cancellation notice. Last year, the DMV began canceling some commercial licenses belonging to drivers with temporary legal status, including asylum seekers, DACA recipients and TPS holders.This week, the Superior Court of California in Alameda County ordered the DMV to fix the issue affecting thousands of drivers whose licenses were set to expire on March 6.The judge’s decision comes in response to a class-action lawsuit filed by the Sikh Coalition, Asian Law Caucus, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP on behalf of commercial drivers and the Jakara Movement.In a release, DMV accused the Trump Administration of making misleading statements about CDLs being issued to immigrant drivers in California. “All the individuals issued non-domiciled CDLs by the DMV had been granted work authorization by the federal government and were legally present in the United States at the time their license was issued,” DMV said. ” While a recent court ruling now allows affected individuals to submit a new CDL application, the federal government is barring the DMV from processing these applications currently. Given that the DMV is compliant with state and federal law, it is incumbent upon the federal government to allow the DMV to process those applications and issue licenses to eligible drivers.” Drivers impacted by the federal government’s decision must obtain a new Class C California driver’s license in order to continue driving passenger vehicles and light duty trucks, DMV said. DMV also said Friday that it previously attempted to issue corrected CDLs to affected drivers, consistent with California and federal law, but was blocked from doing so by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. “This federal administration is using their war on immigration to remove qualified, hardworking commercial drivers from our workforce who meet language and safety rules,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. “There are no guarantees that additional solutions will become available to help these drivers and their employers but, in the meantime, there are immediate actions they must take to get a Class C license to be able to drive regular cars.”The court order requires the DMV to create a process to prevent some wrongful cancellations and allow other drivers to quickly reapply if their license is canceled. However, the ruling does not automatically stop all cancellations, meaning some drivers could temporarily lose their ability to work while the new process is put into place. For many, even a short gap without a license could mean lost income while the state works to implement the court’s order.Last year, two deadly crashes made national headlines, one in August and one in October, both involving immigrant truck drivers with commercial licenses in California. Those cases sparked criticism from the Trump administration, which then launched an audit.The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said its audit in the fall identified problems with truckers and bus drivers who had licenses that showed they were valid long after their visas were set to expire.State officials say the issue stems from a federal requirement that commercial licenses cannot be valid longer than a driver’s work authorization.Federal officials also warned that California could lose millions in highway funding if it failed to revoke thousands of licenses. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

The California Department of Motor Vehicles said Friday that the federal government is requiring them to cancel the commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) of thousands of immigrant truck drivers in the state.

(Previous coverage in video player above)

According to a release from the California DMV, approximately 13,000 non-domiciled CDLs are being revoked. DMV said non-domiciled people are “those who do not have citizenship or lawful permanent resident status, and includes holders of various visas, refugees, and asylees.”

DMV said the not all non-domiciled CDL drivers will be effected by the government’s decision and drivers affected should have already received a cancellation notice.

Last year, the DMV began canceling some commercial licenses belonging to drivers with temporary legal status, including asylum seekers, DACA recipients and TPS holders.

This week, the Superior Court of California in Alameda County ordered the DMV to fix the issue affecting thousands of drivers whose licenses were set to expire on March 6.

The judge’s decision comes in response to a class-action lawsuit filed by the Sikh Coalition, Asian Law Caucus, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP on behalf of commercial drivers and the Jakara Movement.

In a release, DMV accused the Trump Administration of making misleading statements about CDLs being issued to immigrant drivers in California.

“All the individuals issued non-domiciled CDLs by the DMV had been granted work authorization by the federal government and were legally present in the United States at the time their license was issued,” DMV said. ” While a recent court ruling now allows affected individuals to submit a new CDL application, the federal government is barring the DMV from processing these applications currently. Given that the DMV is compliant with state and federal law, it is incumbent upon the federal government to allow the DMV to process those applications and issue licenses to eligible drivers.”

Drivers impacted by the federal government’s decision must obtain a new Class C California driver’s license in order to continue driving passenger vehicles and light duty trucks, DMV said.

DMV also said Friday that it previously attempted to issue corrected CDLs to affected drivers, consistent with California and federal law, but was blocked from doing so by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

“This federal administration is using their war on immigration to remove qualified, hardworking commercial drivers from our workforce who meet language and safety rules,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. “There are no guarantees that additional solutions will become available to help these drivers and their employers but, in the meantime, there are immediate actions they must take to get a Class C license to be able to drive regular cars.”

The court order requires the DMV to create a process to prevent some wrongful cancellations and allow other drivers to quickly reapply if their license is canceled. However, the ruling does not automatically stop all cancellations, meaning some drivers could temporarily lose their ability to work while the new process is put into place.

For many, even a short gap without a license could mean lost income while the state works to implement the court’s order.

Last year, two deadly crashes made national headlines, one in August and one in October, both involving immigrant truck drivers with commercial licenses in California. Those cases sparked criticism from the Trump administration, which then launched an audit.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said its audit in the fall identified problems with truckers and bus drivers who had licenses that showed they were valid long after their visas were set to expire.

State officials say the issue stems from a federal requirement that commercial licenses cannot be valid longer than a driver’s work authorization.

Federal officials also warned that California could lose millions in highway funding if it failed to revoke thousands of licenses.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel