The federal government’s crackdown on commercial driver’s licenses for immigrants has identified problems in eight states following several fatal crashes involving unauthorized drivers.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has publicly threatened to withhold millions in federal funding from California, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and New York due to investigations revealing licenses remained valid long after an immigrant's legal status expired. During the government shutdown, the department also sent letters to Texas, South Dakota, Colorado, and Washington regarding similar issues.
Issues surrounding immigrant truck drivers gained prominence after an unauthorized driver caused a tragic crash in Florida in August, resulting in three fatalities. A subsequent fiery crash in California involved another unauthorized driver, further escalating the government's scrutiny.
In September, Duffy proposed new restrictions designed to limit which noncitizens can obtain commercial driving licenses, however, a court has temporarily halted these new rules.
The allegations against each state vary. For instance, California’s licensing practices were initially questioned when Duffy threatened to withdraw $160 million. Following the threat, California officials acknowledged issues and revoked over 21,000 commercial driver's licenses. Meanwhile, Duffy has since revoked $40 million in federal funding, citing California as the only state that does not enforce English proficiency requirements for truckers.
Pennsylvania faces possible funding cuts of nearly $75 million. The Department of Transportation has identified licenses that remained valid after the expiration of the driver's lawful presence in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Duffy is threatening to withhold $30.4 million from Minnesota unless the state corrects issues with its commercial driver’s license program, where misconduct involved licenses that remained valid beyond authorized work permits.
New York was highlighted in the latest review, with federal investigators flagging that more than half of the commercial licenses examined were improperly issued, raising alarms about the verification process of immigration status.
In Texas, Duffy threatened a freeze on $182 million in funds if the state doesn’t promptly rectify licensing issues affecting many commercial drivers. Similarly, South Dakota, Colorado, and Washington are under scrutiny, with concerns over the issuance of licenses that fail to align with federal guidelines.
This sweeping review of states' practices aims to enhance the safety of the roads amid rising fatalities linked to unverified immigrant drivers. The federal government is pressuring states to comply with existing regulations and ensure only qualified drivers operate commercial vehicles.
