California is revoking 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants after discovering the licenses extended beyond drivers’ legal authorization to remain in the U.S.
Key Points:
• All affected drivers had valid federal work authorization when licenses were issued
• Licenses violated state law requiring expiration dates to align with legal status dates
• Action follows the Trump administration pressure and several fatal crashes involving unauthorized drivers
• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy previously revoked $40M in federal funding over licensing concerns and threatens to withhold another $160M
New Federal Rules:
• Only three visa types (H-2a, H-2b, E-2) will qualify for commercial licenses going forward
• This reduces eligible noncitizen drivers from 200,000 to just 10,000
• States must verify immigration status in the federal database
• Rules not retroactive—existing license holders can keep them until renewal
Affected drivers have 60 days before their licenses expire. California maintains it followed federal guidance when issuing the licenses.
Source: AP Press writer Sophie Austin & Insurance Journal Magazine – 11/17/25
