California’s License Revocation Plan
California is set to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses granted to immigrants, igniting a conflict between Governor Gavin Newsom and the Trump administration regarding the legitimacy of these licenses.
• Revocation Timeline: The state plans to revoke the licenses within 60 days.
• Governor’s Position: Newsom asserts that the revocations are due to violations of existing state laws predating recent changes by the Trump administration, although he has not disclosed specific details.
• Federal Response: U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy claims this action indicates California’s improper issuance of the licenses.
• Funding Consequences: Duffy has withdrawn $40 million in federal funding from California and warned of an additional $160 million cut related to these licenses.
• Valid Work Authorizations: Newsom’s office maintains that all affected drivers possessed valid work authorizations from the federal government.
• New Federal Regulations: Recent rules limit commercial driver’s licenses to three visa categories: H-2a, H-2b, and E-2.
• Qualification Statistics: Under these new regulations, only 10,000 out of 200,000 noncitizens with commercial licenses would meet the criteria; however, enforcement will not be retroactive.
• Background for Audit: A series of fatal truck accidents in Florida, Texas, Alabama, and California involving undocumented drivers led to this nationwide audit of commercial driver’s licenses.
