CA politician claims revoking non-domiciled CDLs targets Indian drivers as public safety threat

A politician in California is calling on the Governor of California to stop the California DMV from revoking CDLs that fall under the new non-domiciled rules. 

Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains says that the revoking of approximately 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs to comply with a new rule issued by the FMCSA in September is unfair “turban targeting” in a state where a high number of truck drivers are Sikh, or at least Indian, reported Elk Grove News.

“We are witnessing a coordinated effort to paint Sikh and Indian drivers as ‘dangerous’ or ‘foreign menaces’ based on nothing but right-wing xenophobia,” Bains said in a statement. “By capitulating to this federal rule, the DMV is effectively validating the lie that Indian immigrants are a threat to public safety.”

In her letter, Bains has called on Governor Newsom to block the revoking of these CDLs as a way to halt “right-wing xenophobia.”

“This policy is the direct result of racist rhetoric that weaponizes isolated accidents to vilify an entire community,” Bains said. “These men and women kept our supply chains moving through the worst of the pandemic. Now, they are being told they don’t belong on our roads.”

“The Governor must halt these revocations immediately,” Bains said. “We cannot allow the DMV to strip the livelihoods of hardworking families to score points for a hateful political narrative.”

Bains plans to run for Congress in California’s 22nd District. Governor Newsom’s office has not yet issued a response to the letter.