California has decided to postpone its plan to revoke the commercial driver’s licenses of thousands of immigrants residing in the state. This decision has drawn swift criticism from federal authorities who had been urging for the licenses to be canceled, especially after a series of fatal accidents involving foreign drivers.
The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles announced the delay, pushing the cancellation deadline to March. This extension is intended to allow more time to address the concerns raised by federal officials. Approximately 17,000 noncitizens are impacted by this decision.
The Trump administration, along with U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, had initially set a January 5 deadline for the cancellations, with a stern warning that missing this deadline could result in California losing $160 million in federal funding. In addition to federal pressure, the state is also facing a class-action lawsuit from immigration advocates who claim that the crackdown disproportionately targets immigrant truckers and bus drivers.
During a testimony before the House Appropriations Committee, Secretary Duffy underscored the federal government’s stance on the issue. However, California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, criticized Duffy in a tweet, accusing him of “federal mismanagement.”
Newsom pointed out, “YOUR staff informed the California DMV they were amenable to an extension just eight days ago. In fact, the FMCSA agreed that an extension was both logistically sensible and reasonable during a meeting on December 18,” he stated. “The DMV acted based on that guidance.”
“YOUR staff told CA DMV they were open to an extension 8 days ago. In fact, FMCSA agreed an extension made logistical sense and was reasonable (in a meeting on Dec. 18),” he wrote. “DMV relied on that guidance and acted accordingly.”
Separately, the Asian Law Caucus and the Sikh Coalition, along with the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, filed the lawsuit last week, arguing the cancellations would “result in mass work stoppages” immediately upon the deadline.
Impacted drivers get another 60 days before the cancellations take effect, according to the DMV.
Duffy sharply criticized the move on X.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a rally on Nov. 8, 2025, in Houston, Texas. He received a warning from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy about his state’s looming delay of a plan to cancel more than 17,000 CDLs issued to noncitizen drivers. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“California does NOT have an ‘extension’ to keep breaking the law and putting Americans at risk on the roads,” Duffy wrote earlier this week. “Miss the deadline, [Gov. Gavin Newsom], and the @USDOT will act — including cutting nearly $160 million in federal funding.”
Separately, he has announced $118 million in grants for states to crack down on “unqualified, unvetted drivers.”
The dispute comes after a series of deadly crashes around the country involving illegal immigrant drivers behind the wheel.
Harjinder Singh, 28, was arrested after allegedly attempting an unauthorized U-turn in Florida in August that resulted in a crash that left three people dead, officials said. (St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office)
In one case, a purported illegal immigrant from India named Harjinder Singh allegedly killed three people after attempting an illegal U-turn in Florida on Aug. 12. His CDL had been issued on the other side of the country — in California.
Singh allegedly failed to recognize three out of four highway traffic signs and answered just two questions out of 12 correctly in an English proficiency assessment delivered by transportation officials, Fox News Digital reported previously.
California leaders, for their part, have said they intend to improve vetting and security measures while continuing to issue CDLs to noncitizens.
Bodycam still shows Harjinder Singh holding paperwork as a New Mexico State Police officer issues him a speeding ticket during a July 3 traffic stop, weeks before the deadly Florida crash. (New Mexico State Police)
“We are hopeful that our collaboration with the federal government will give [Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration] confidence in our updated processes to allow California to promptly resume issuance of nondomiciled commercial driver’s licenses,” California’s DMV Director Steve Gordon said in a statement.
Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office for comment.
