East Bay judge rules California must let immigrant truck drivers keep their licenses

"The U.S. Department of Transportation already has repeatedly pushed the California Department of Motor Vehicles to rescind these licenses, which belong to many asylum seekers and other immigrants with temporary legal status, after the federal government found alleged clerical issues regarding the expiration dates on their licenses."

"The transportation department said in January that it will withhold $160 million in federal highway funds from California as punishment for extending the expiration dates."

"Forcing the DMV to keep these 20,000 licenses intact 'will risk the ultimate harm that California is trying to avoid,' said Barbara Horne-Petersdorf, an attorney with the California Department of Justice. 'DMV is not insulated from any retaliatory action.'"

Over 20,000 immigrant truck drivers in California, many asylum seekers with temporary legal status, will retain their licenses following a tentative court ruling. The U.S. Department of Transportation pressured California's DMV to revoke these licenses due to alleged clerical issues with expiration dates. The DMV initially complied, notifying drivers their licenses would expire within 60 days. However, legal advocacy groups challenged the revocation process as improper, prompting the state to extend expiration dates to March 6. The federal government responded by threatening to withhold $160 million in highway funding. State attorneys warn the court decision could provoke the Trump administration to revoke California's authority to issue commercial licenses entirely.

Read at The Mercury News