13K immigrant truck drivers lose California licenses

"California, through its Department of Motor Vehicles, canceled the commercial and regular Class C licenses on March 6 of any drivers whose license expiration dates extended beyond their legal presence documents provided to the DMV. The DMV estimates that 13,000 drivers have been impacted across the state."

"The DMV's decision follows a new federal rule that limits immigrants' license eligibility to a much narrower set of legal statuses, stripping access from asylum seekers, asylees, refugees, and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA."

"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 for how they will provide for themselves and their families."

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 exceeded their legal presence documentation. This action follows a new federal rule narrowing immigrant license eligibility to exclude asylum seekers, asylees, refugees, and DACA recipients. The DMV director criticized the federal administration's immigration policies for removing qualified, safety-compliant commercial drivers from the workforce. Drivers whose licenses were canceled may reapply with proper expiration dates, though the DMV cannot guarantee when new commercial licenses will be issued. The cancellations create severe financial hardship for truckers who invested tens of thousands in vehicles and now face loan repayment with uncertain employment prospects.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org