California revokes 17,000 commercial driver's licenses for immigrants
[November 13, 2025] By
JOSH FUNK
California plans to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses given to
immigrants after discovering the expiration dates went past when the
drivers were legally allowed to be in the U.S., state officials said
Wednesday.
The announcement follows harsh criticism from the Trump administration
about California and other states granting licenses to people in the
country illegally. The issue was thrust into the public’s consciousness
in August, when a tractor-trailer driver not authorized to be in the
U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed
three people.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday that California’s
action to revoke these licenses is an admission that the state acted
improperly even though it previously defended its licensing standards.
California launched its review of commercial driver’s licenses it issued
after Duffy raised concerns.
“After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and
California have been caught red-handed. Now that we’ve exposed their
lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked,”
Duffy said, referring to the state's governor. “This is just the tip of
iceberg. My team will continue to force California to prove they have
removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and
school buses.”
Newsom's office said that every one of the drivers whose license is
being revoked had valid work authorizations from the federal government.
At first, his office declined to disclose the exact reason for revoking
the licenses, saying only they violated state law. Later, his office
revealed the state law it was referring to was one that requires the
licenses expire on or before a person’s legal status to be in the United
State ends, as reported to the DMV.
Still, Newsom’s spokesperson Brandon Richards shot back at Duffy in a
statement.
“Once again, the Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth —
spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to
please his dear leader,” Richards said.
Fatal truck crashes in Texas and Alabama earlier this year also
highlight questions about these licenses. A fiery California crash that
killed three people last month involved a truck driver in the country
illegally, only adding to the concerns.
Duffy previously imposed new restrictions on which immigrants can
qualify for commercial driver's licenses. He said earlier this fall that
California and five other states had improperly issued commercial
driver's licenses to noncitizens, but California is the only state Duffy
has taken action against because it was the first one where an audit was
completed. The reviews in the other states have been delayed by the
government shutdown, but the Transportation Department is urging all of
them to tighten their standards.
[to top of second column] |
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, greets people as he arrives for
a news conference at the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Tuesday, Nov.
11, 2025, in Belem, Brazil. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
 Duffy revoked $40 million in federal
funding because he said California isn't enforcing English language
requirements for truckers, and he reiterated Wednesday that he will
take another $160 million from the state over these improperly
issued licenses if they don't invalidate every illegal license and
address all the concerns. But revoking these licenses is part of the
state's effort to comply.
The new rules for commercial driver's licenses that Duffy announced
in September make getting them extremely hard for immigrants because
only three specific classes of visa holders will be eligible. States
will also have to verify an applicant’s immigration status in a
federal database. The licenses will be valid for up to one year
unless the applicant’s visa expires sooner.
Under the new rules, only 10,000 of the 200,000 noncitizens who have
commercial licenses would qualify for them, which would only be
available to drivers who have an H-2a, H-2b or E-2 visa. H-2a is for
temporary agricultural workers while H-2b is for temporary
nonagricultural workers, and E-2 is for people who make substantial
investments in a U.S. business. But the rules won’t be enforced
retroactively, so those 190,000 drivers will be allowed to keep
their commercial licenses at least until they come up for renewal.
Those new requirements were not in place at the time the 17,000
California licenses were issued. But those drivers were given
notices that their licenses will expire in 60 days.
Duffy said in September that investigators found that one quarter of
the 145 licenses they reviewed in California shouldn't have been
issued. He cited four California licenses that remained valid after
the driver’s work permit expired — sometimes years after.
Newsom's office said the state followed guidance it received from
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about issuing these
licenses to noncitizens.
___
Associated Press writer Sophie Austin contributed to this report
from Sacramento, California.
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