California DMV pushes back revocation of non-domicile CDLs until March following immigrant lawsuit

The California Department of Motor Vehicles has pushed back the revocation of non-domicile CDLs until March following a lawsuit brought forth by immigrant truck drivers. 

California announced the pause on Tuesday, December 30th, reported PBS. The state was previously given a January 5th deadline to revoke the non-domicile commercial driver’s licenses flagged in an audit. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says that California may lose $160 million in federal funding if it does not meet this deadline. The federal government has already withheld $40 million from California for failure to enforce English Language Proficiency requirements. 

California first issued cancellation notices to the 17,000 CDL holders in early November after pressure from Secretary Duffy, then announced plans to reissue the CDLS threatened for cancellation in mid-December. The federal government cancelled the state’s plans to reissue the licenses shortly after. 

Just before Christmas, a group of immigrant truck drivers – The Sikh Coalition and the San Francisco-based Asian Law Caucus filed a class-action lawsuit against the California DMV. The lawsuit states that the revocation unfairly targets immigrant drivers, violates their due process rights, and threatens their livelihoods. 

“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,” said Munmeeth Kaur, the Sikh Coalition’s legal director, in a statement, reported ABC.

California officials say they are working to comply with federal Transportation Department guidelines. The number of CDLs at risk of revocation has climbed to 21,000, reported the Associated Press.

The non-domicile CDLs will be revoked on March 6th, reported Fox Business. The state claims that the delay is needed to ensure no CDLs are wrongfully terminated, and that March 6th is an acceptable deadline. 

“[California Gov.] Gavin Newsom is lying,” Duffy wrote on X in response to the new deadline. 

“The deadline to revoke illegally issued, unvetted foreign trucker licenses is still January 5… California does NOT have an ‘extension’ to keep breaking the law and putting Americans at risk on the roads… Miss the deadline, Gavin, and the @USDOT will act — including cutting nearly $160 million in federal funding.”

The California DMV says it does not comment on pending litigation. It is unclear if the status of the class action lawsuit has changed as a result of the changed date.