In a significant development, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has temporarily halted the implementation of the Trump administration’s emergency regulations that were designed to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs). The administrative stay, issued on Monday, saw a split decision with two Democrat-appointed judges voting in favor of the stay and one Republican-appointed judge dissenting.
The ruling effectively stalls the enforcement of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s September regulations, which mandated that non-citizens seeking a non-domiciled CDL must undergo federal verification of immigration status and possess an employment-based visa. The regulations were introduced in response to concerns over public safety hazards on highways, attributed to the state-level issuance of CDLs to foreign nationals, some of whom have limited English proficiency.
The court order, as reported by The Daily Caller, emphasized that the stay does not resolve the merits of the rule but allows time for further review. Approximately 200,000 individuals currently hold non-domiciled CDLs in the U.S., with many operating commercial trucks without lawful immigration status. Federal investigations have brought to light multiple instances where non-domiciled drivers, unfamiliar with road regulations and language requirements, were involved in accidents, including some that resulted in fatalities.
Audits conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) identified several states with the highest numbers of improperly issued non-domiciled CDLs. Notably, California showed about 25 percent non-compliance in sampled records. The issue gained national attention after two high-profile crashes, one in Florida and another in California, each resulting in three fatalities and involving illegal immigrant drivers.
The opposition to the rules has been vocal, with labor unions and Democratic-aligned organizations challenging their legitimacy. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, criticized the regulations as “spiteful and illegal,” contending that they unfairly targeted immigrants with valid work authorization. Legal challenges, filed in October, claim that the Trump administration bypassed proper rule-making procedures.
Prior to the court's ruling, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety conducted “Operation Guardian,” resulting in the arrest of 70 foreign nationals driving illegally. Many of the detainees held CDLs issued in states led by Democratic administrations, including California, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York.
Secretary Duffy has underscored the intent behind the rules, which is to reduce highway dangers posed by non-domiciled drivers, particularly those who are not well-versed in traffic laws or lack sufficient English communication skills. With the D.C. Circuit’s stay in place, officials warn that these risks remain unmitigated.
The Trump administration has vowed to explore all legal avenues to reinstate the enforcement of these regulations, arguing that strict oversight of commercial driving privileges is crucial for public safety. The courts will ultimately decide the fate of federal safeguards for non-domiciled CDL holders and the regulation of these drivers across the nation.
As the litigation continues, federal and state authorities are keeping up their monitoring programs for unsafe drivers and assessing compliance with commercial licensing requirements. The case highlights the complex interplay between immigration enforcement and highway safety, with far-reaching implications for public security and regulatory oversight in the trucking industry.
