A group of immigrant truckers sued California’s Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday, alleging that the state violated thousands of workers’ rights when officials took action to revoke their commercial driver’s licenses. California officials said last month that the state notified about 17,000 truckers that their licenses would be revoked because the expiration dates extended beyond their legal status in the U.S. This figure has now risen to 21,000.
The DMV's actions were reportedly prompted by federal pressure, with the Trump administration targeting states that permit immigrants to obtain commercial licenses, threatening to withhold funding from states including California.
The lawsuit, filed by the Sikh Coalition and the Asian Law Caucus on behalf of the affected drivers, asserts that the state’s plan violates due process rights and jeopardizes the livelihoods of these individuals. These drivers have spent years anchoring their lives to these careers, only to now face potential economic ruin through no fault of their own— they deserve better, and California must do better, remarked Munmeeth Kaur, legal director at the Sikh Coalition.
The plaintiffs are seeking a temporary pause on the license cancellations, aiming to safeguard the rights and futures of immigrant truck drivers in California. The DMV has refused to comment on the pending litigation.
Concerns regarding immigrant truck drivers have been amplified following several incidents in which unauthorized drivers were involved in deadly crashes, raising alarms about safety and regulatory compliance.
