California to Lose $160 Million in Federal Funds Over Delayed Revocation of Immigrant Trucking Licenses

By Blessing Nweke

California will forfeit nearly $160 million in federal transportation funding after delaying the revocation of thousands of commercial driver’s licenses issued unlawfully to immigrants, federal officials announced Wednesday, escalating a dispute over road safety and immigration enforcement.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the state failed to meet a Jan. 5 deadline to revoke about 17,000 licenses identified as noncompliant during a federal audit. As a result, the Department of Transportation moved forward with penalties it had previously threatened, including withholding $40 million already blocked over California’s alleged failure to enforce English proficiency requirements for truck drivers.

The audit found widespread problems with California’s handling of so-called non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses, including licenses that remained valid long after visa or work permit expirations. Investigators also found licenses issued to some citizens of Mexico and Canada who did not qualify. More than one-quarter of the small sample of licenses reviewed were deemed unlawful.

California had notified affected drivers last fall that their licenses would be revoked. However, state officials announced last week that enforcement would be delayed until March after immigrant advocacy groups filed a lawsuit arguing that some communities were being unfairly targeted.

Duffy criticized the delay, accusing Gov. Gavin Newsom of prioritizing immigrants over public safety. “Our demands were simple: follow the rules, revoke the unlawfully-issued licenses, and fix the system so this never happens again,” Duffy said in a statement. Newsom’s office did not immediately respond.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Derek Barrs said California also postponed canceling an additional 4,700 unlawful licenses discovered after the initial audit. “We will not accept a corrective plan that knowingly leaves thousands of noncompliant drivers behind the wheel of 80,000-pound trucks,” Barrs said.

The crackdown intensified after a fatal Florida crash in August involving a truck driver not authorized to be in the U.S. Trucking industry groups have praised the enforcement effort, while civil rights organizations, including the Sikh Coalition and Asian Law Caucus, argue immigrant drivers are being unfairly singled out amid heightened scrutiny nationwide.