13K immigrant truck drivers lose California licenses

"This federal administration is using their war on immigration to remove qualified, hardworking commercial drivers from our workforce who meet language and safety rules. There are no guarantees that additional solutions will become available to help these drivers and their employers."

"In compliance with an order from a judge in Alameda County Superior Court, the DMV says that drivers whose licenses were canceled or who surrendered them before the March 6 deadline have the right to immediately reapply for a license with the proper expiration date."

"The license cancellations are expected to cause severe hardship for commercial truckers in California, including many in the Bay Area. Some of the truckers bought or leased trucks for tens of thousands of dollars and now face repaying big loans and an uncertain future."

California's Department of Motor Vehicles canceled commercial and regular Class C licenses for approximately 13,000 immigrant drivers on March 6, whose license expiration dates extended beyond their legal presence documents. This action followed a new federal rule that narrowed immigrants' license eligibility, excluding asylum seekers, asylees, refugees, and DACA recipients. The DMV director criticized the federal administration's immigration policies for removing qualified drivers from the workforce. Drivers whose licenses were canceled may reapply with proper expiration dates, though the DMV cannot guarantee when commercial licenses will be issued again. The cancellations create severe hardship for truckers who invested tens of thousands of dollars in vehicles and now face loan repayment and uncertain employment prospects.

Read at The Oaklandside