California’s License Cancellations
California has initiated the cancellation of licenses for 17,000 commercial drivers following pressure from the federal government, which claims these drivers are “dangerous foreign drivers” that should be removed from U.S. roads.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the revocations last week, stating that California had succumbed to federal demands to remove individuals deemed illegal immigrants from operating vehicles.
The office of Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged the license cancellations but disputed the characterization of these individuals as illegal immigrants, asserting that the revocations were due to inconsistencies with state law.
Duffy criticized Newsom’s administration, claiming they had been caught in a lie regarding their handling of trucking licenses. In response, Newsom’s team mocked Duffy’s past as a reality TV star and accused him of spreading misinformation to appease political leaders.
Amid this controversy, a federal appeals court temporarily halted Duffy’s new regulation aimed at removing illegal immigrants and other non-domiciled foreign drivers from the roads. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that Duffy’s approach was flawed and noted that migrant drivers are statistically safer than their counterparts.
The court emphasized that removing experienced migrant drivers could compromise public safety by replacing them with less experienced operators. Judge Karen Henderson dissented, arguing that there was sufficient justification for the government’s rule based on safety concerns related to foreign-domiciled commercial drivers.
The implications of this ruling on California’s revoked licenses remain unclear, as neither state officials nor federal transportation authorities provided comments on the matter. Duffy suggested that these 17,000 cancellations represent only a fraction of what needs to be addressed.
Duffy vowed to ensure California complies with federal regulations regarding driver licensing or face potential loss of $160 million in federal funding. Meanwhile, Newsom’s office maintained that those affected have legal status and work permits issued by Homeland Security.
