California Issued 17,000 Illegal Trucking Licenses to Foreign Nationals, DOT Says
The U.S. Department of Transportation has revealed that California illegally issued thousands of commercial trucking licenses to foreign-born individuals who do not meet federal requirements. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday that the state admitted to handing out 17,000 Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) to non-domiciled, potentially illegal immigrants—an act his office called a threat to public safety.
“After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed,” said Duffy. “Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked.”
According to the Transportation Department, all recipients of these illegal CDLs have been notified that their licenses will expire within 60 days. The department is also overseeing California’s internal audit of its licensing system to ensure every improperly issued license is revoked and that safeguards are implemented to prevent future abuse.
The scandal erupted following a fatal crash in Florida involving 28-year-old Harjinder Singh, an Indian national in the U.S. illegally. Singh made an illegal U-turn with a commercial truck, causing a wreck that killed three Americans. He had obtained his CDL from California.
Florida officials responded with outrage. The state’s attorney general, James Uthmeier, filed a lawsuit against California, accusing the state of violating federal CDL issuance standards and enabling illegal immigrants to operate heavy commercial vehicles across state lines.
“Here in Florida, we can do everything right… but we still suffer when Gavin Newsom and liberals on the West Coast allow these illegals in, encourage them, enable them to get these driver’s licenses and then they cross the country and ultimately take lives,” Uthmeier said.
Duffy echoed the sentiment and warned that this may only be the beginning. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses.”
The controversy stems in part from states circumventing federal law, including by allowing commercial driver’s tests to be taken in languages other than English—a direct violation of federal requirements, which mandate English proficiency for CDL holders.
As the DOT continues its investigation, the political fallout could intensify. California’s defiance of federal standards, critics argue, has enabled a nationwide network of illegal commercial drivers to transport cargo and potentially endanger public safety, all under the radar.
The DOT has vowed to audit and monitor California until full compliance is verified.