The Trump administration has put Pennsylvania on high alert, signaling a possible withdrawal of $75 million in federal funding following a significant security lapse in the state's issuance of commercial driver's licenses (CDLs). This move comes after federal regulators discovered that Pennsylvania had granted CDLs to foreign nationals without adequately verifying their legal status, a violation of safety protocols.
The situation came to a head with the arrest of Akhror Bozorov, an Uzbekistan national illegally residing in the United States, who was found to have ties to terrorist activities overseas. Bozorov, who had been disseminating jihadist propaganda and attempting to recruit for extremist groups, was in possession of a Pennsylvanian CDL, raising immediate red flags about the state's vetting processes.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has taken a firm stance on the matter, emphasizing the administration's commitment to national security. "Under President Trump, this Department is taking every measure to ensure dangerous foreign drivers aren't illegally operating 40-ton vehicles on American roads," Duffy stated. He also criticized the previous administration's border policies, which he believes contributed to the current predicament.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's review unearthed what officials termed "numerous failures" in the CDL system of Pennsylvania. Among the discrepancies found were cases where expiration dates of licenses were extended beyond a migrant's lawful stay and instances where proof of legal presence went unconfirmed.
In response to these findings, federal officials have demanded Pennsylvania to halt all new or upgraded CDL issuances until a thorough review is completed. The state must also conduct an audit of past records, disqualify unqualified drivers, and rectify the program to meet federal standards or face financial consequences.
PennDOT's spokesperson, Alexis Campbell, offered a rebuttal, stating that the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs was suspended immediately after the release of the FMCSA's Interim Final Rule on September 29. According to Campbell, a federal audit of 150 cases revealed no CDLs were issued to ineligible applicants, and all applicants were required to show proof of identity, with their legal presence confirmed via the federal SAVE database.
Pennsylvania officials are currently examining the federal letter and intend to respond within the allotted time frame. The state has yet to disclose whether it will accept the accusations or challenge them.
This conflict is part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to regulate foreign commercial drivers, following several fatal accidents involving illegal migrants. New emergency DOT rules require non-citizens seeking non-domiciled CDLs to pass federal immigration checks and possess valid employment-based visas, aiming to prevent illegal migrants with limited English proficiency from driving on U.S. roads.
However, labor groups, predominantly Democrat-aligned, have challenged these policies, leading to an appeals court temporarily halting enforcement while legal proceedings continue.
Earlier, the DOT had retracted $40 million from California for improperly issuing 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs, and it is now threatening to withhold an additional $160 million if California does not comply.
The Trump administration's stance has been echoed by conservative media, with Bret Baier of RedWave Press noting, "The move follows a similar effort against California."
