California revokes 17,000 commercial driver's licenses for immigrants

"California plans to revoke 17,000 commercial driver's licenses given to immigrants after the Trump administration raised concerns about people in the country illegally improperly receiving licenses to drive a semitruck or a bus. But Gov. Gavin Newsom said that isn't the reason. The licenses were revoked because state officials discovered their expiration dates went past when the drivers were legally allowed to be in the United States, based on DMV documents, the California's State Transportation Agency said."

"Both the Democratic governor's office and the Republican Trump administration's Transportation Department agreed that these licenses violated the existing standard that were in place before Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently tightened the rules following a nationwide commercial driver's license audit launched after a driver in the country illegally made a U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people."

"Duffy previously imposed new restrictions on which immigrants can qualify for one of these commercial driver's licenses. He said earlier this fall that California and five other states had improperly issued commercial driver's licenses to noncitizens, but California is the only state Duffy has taken action against because it was the first one where an audit was completed."

California will revoke 17,000 commercial driver's licenses issued to immigrants after state officials found license expiration dates exceeded drivers' authorized stays in the United States, according to DMV records. Governor Gavin Newsom denied that federal pressure prompted the revocations. State and federal transportation officials agreed the licenses violated prior standards that existed before Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy tightened rules following a nationwide audit prompted by a fatal Florida crash. Earlier fatal truck crashes in Texas, Alabama and California increased safety concerns. Duffy imposed new restrictions and said five other states may have improperly issued commercial licenses; reviews elsewhere were delayed by the government shutdown.

Read at ABC7 Los Angeles