Court blocks new rules limiting which immigrants can get commercial drivers' licenses

"The court in the District of Columbia ruled Thursday that the rules Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced in September a month after a truck driver not authorized to be in the U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people can't be enforced right now. The court said the federal government didn't follow proper procedure in drafting the rule and failed to articulate a satisfactory explanation for how the rule would promote safety."

"The court said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's own data shows that immigrants who hold these licenses account for roughly 5% of all commercial driver's licenses but only about 0.2% of all fatal crashes, the court said. Duffy has been pressing this issue in California because the driver in the Florida crash received a license in California, and an audit of that state's records showed that many immigrants received licenses in California that were valid long after their work permits expired."

A federal appeals court in the District of Columbia put on hold Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's September restrictions limiting which immigrants can obtain commercial driver's licenses. The court found the federal government failed to follow proper rulemaking procedures and did not provide an adequate safety rationale. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data indicated that immigrant CDL holders represent about 5% of licenses but only 0.2% of fatal crashes. The dispute intensified after a Florida crash involving an unauthorized driver and audits showing some California licenses remained valid after work permits expired; California recently revoked 17,000 such licenses.

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