Recently, the state of California made an announcement that will directly negatively impact many immigrants who had received their driver’s licenses. According to the announcement, 17,000 commercial licenses will be revoked after it was discovered that their expiration dates were incompatible with the legal period of stay of these individuals in the United States.
After the news of several accidents with fatal consequences, Sean Duffy has seized the opportunity to add more fuel to the fire by accusing Gavin Newsom of having committed this irregularity. However, the reality is that all the work permits of the affected individuals were valid and had been issued by the federal government, and the revocation is related to an adjustment in state law. Now it is required that the license expire on or before the same date as the driver’s legal status.
Duffy has withheld $40 million in federal funds designated for the state of California for, according to him, not complying with English language rules for truck drivers. Additionally, he threatened to withdraw another $160 million if California does not revoke the specified licenses. While Duffy promotes the idea that the state of California and Newsom’s government cabinet have not followed the rules, they argue that all processes adhered to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) guidelines.
Driver’s licenses for immigrants in California
A recent announcement from the state of California has left many immigrants completely bewildered, with them being the only ones affected. According to the announcement, the state will revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses after realizing that their expiration dates were incompatible with the legal period of stay of those affected in the country. This uproar comes due to federal pressure exerted by news coverage of an accident in which a truck driver made an improper turn, causing 3 deaths.
The debate over the licenses arises when it is reported that the driver was an immigrant, which Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has used to fuel the controversy. According to Duffy, ‘Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed,’ referring to the fact that thousands of licenses were issued in violation of regulations.As could be expected, both the governed Gavin Newsom and his government team have denied these accusations, with Brandon Richards even going so far as to accuse Duffy of “spreading falsehoods”.
What really happened?
The government of Gavin Newsom has clarified how these procedures were carried out. According to them, all affected drivers had valid work permits issued by the federal government, and the revocation was due to a technical adjustment: state law requires that the license expire on or before the same date as the driver’s legal status reported to the DMV. The government maintains that it followed the guidelines established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in all cases. This has nothing to do with failing to comply with regulations, but the controversy continues to grow due to incidents and fatal accidents in Alabama, California, and Texas.
Duffy takes action
In this situation, Duffy has decided to penalize California by withholding $40 million in federal funds because, according to him, it has not complied with English language rules for truck drivers. Furthermore, he has threatened to withhold an additional $160 million if California does not invalidate these licenses. Since September, the rules announced regarding immigrants’ access to commercial driver’s licenses have been considerably tightened. Now, only those with H-2A, H-2B, or E-2 visas can obtain them, and always for a maximum period of one year.