Commercial driver’s licenses revoked from migrants in California
California has revoked 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses following an audit that they were given to those whose legal status in the US had changed. The Department of Transport said that the state’s officials confirmed that it had “illegally issued” the licenses to “dangerous foreign drivers,” adding that the drivers were notified that their licenses expire in 60 days.
In August, a truck driver who was not legally in the US killed three people in Florida, prompting the Trump administration to ramp up its work in tackling undocumented immigrants working as commercial truck and bus drivers.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said that the announcement from the president was political. The president had been critical of California and other states that had granted licenses to undocumented immigrants.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. “My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses.”
Newsom said that those who had their commercial driver’s licenses revoked had valid work authorisation from the federal government. The licenses had incorrect expiration dates, breaking the state’s laws that they must expire on or before a person’s legal status in the country, media reports say.
A month following the crash in Florida, Duffy announced new rules which would make getting a commercial driver’s license more difficult for immigrants. States would also be required to verify immigration status through a federal database, and licenses would be valid for a maximum of one year.
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