California has initiated the revocation process for approximately 17,000 commercial driver's licenses held by foreign nationals, with many identified as illegal immigrants. This move is in response to a push from the Trump Administration following a series of severe semi-truck accidents, including a deadly incident in Florida this past August. The accident resulted in multiple fatalities and involved a driver who failed to meet qualification standards.
Governor Gavin Newsom of California has characterized the revocations as a reinforcement of pre-existing state laws. "The drivers in question violated regulations that were already on the books," Newsom asserted. However, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy presented a different viewpoint. Duffy utilized social media to convey his concerns, stating, "California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement. This is a fundamental safety issue impacting you and your family on America’s roads."
Secretary Duffy's comments came in the aftermath of the highly-publicized case of Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old who illegally entered the United States from India six years prior. Singh was granted a California commercial driver's license but now faces three counts of vehicular homicide and a potential 45-year prison sentence following an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike that led to a devastating collision.
In response to these safety concerns, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced an immediate suspension of employment visas for truck drivers. "Effective immediately, we are halting all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers," Rubio declared on platform X, highlighting the dangers posed by the growing number of foreign drivers on U.S. roads and the impact on American truckers' jobs.
The license revocations represent an acknowledgment by California of prior oversight failures, as per Duffy's statements. "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 remarked. He also emphasized the administration's intent to continue investigating and ensuring all unqualified drivers are removed from operating semi-trucks and school buses.
Contrarily, Newsom's office maintains that the drivers held valid federal work authorizations, accusing Secretary Duffy of spreading misleading information. A spokesperson for the governor stated, “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."
Further tightening the regulations, Duffy implemented stricter requirements for commercial driver's licenses for immigrants in September, narrowing the eligible visa types and leaving only 10,000 out of 200,000 noncitizen license holders currently qualified. These measures are part of a broader intent to protect American roads and ensure that only qualified individuals are at the helm of large commercial vehicles.
The revocation of these licenses marks a significant step in the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to enforce transportation safety across the nation. The administration has indicated that this action is just the initial phase of a wider campaign to uphold safety standards nationwide.
