A group of immigrant truckers filed a lawsuit against California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) on Tuesday, alleging a violation of workers’ rights as the state reportedly initiated the revocation of their commercial driver’s licenses.
California officials had previously notified about 17,000 truckers that their commercial driver’s licenses would be revoked, citing expired licenses connected to legal status changes. This number has since increased to approximately 21,000 truckers affected.
The lawsuit follows a federal crackdown on states regarding the issuance of commercial driver's licenses to immigrants initiated during the Trump administration. California, along with other states such as Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and New York, is facing federal funding threats over this issue.
The legal action was filed in Alameda County Superior Court by the Sikh Coalition and the Asian Law Caucus, representing the interests of the affected truck drivers.
“These drivers have dedicated years to their careers, only to be potentially facing economic disaster due to no fault of their own — they deserve better,” stated Munmeeth Kaur, legal director of the Sikh Coalition.
The lawsuit claims the state’s plans to revoke the truckers’ licenses infringe upon their due process rights and pose a significant threat to their livelihoods. The coalition is requesting the court to halt the license cancellations.
In response to inquiries, the California DMV has opted not to comment on the ongoing litigation.
This issue gained increased scrutiny following high-profile incidents involving undocumented truck drivers, including a fatal crash in Florida and another serious collision in California, both of which resulted in multiple fatalities.
