A group of immigrant truckers sued California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) on Tuesday, alleging that state officials violated the rights of thousands of workers by attempting to revoke their commercial driver’s licenses.
Last month, California officials sent notifications to about 17,000 truckers, later expanded to 21,000, indicating their licenses would be revoked due to a lapse in legal residency status. This action marks a shift stemming from the Trump administration's crackdown on states issuing licenses to immigrant drivers, with the federal government threatening to withhold funding from several states, including California.
The class-action lawsuit, filed by the Sikh Coalition and the San Francisco-based Asian Law Caucus, highlights the legal risks posed to drivers who have invested years in their trucking careers and now face potential economic ruin without due process.
Munmeeth Kaur, the Sikh Coalition’s legal director, stated, 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.”
The lawsuit seeks to pause the license cancellations, arguing that the state’s actions threaten livelihoods and breach due process rights.
The DMV has not commented on the ongoing litigation, but the situation continues to evolve amid concerns about the implications for immigrant truck drivers across the state.
This issue gained national attention following a series of incidents, including a tragic crash in Florida involving an unauthorized driver that underscored safety concerns among lawmakers regarding immigrant truck drivers.
