Federal Court Halts New Immigrant Driver's License Restrictions Amid Safety Concerns

Fri Nov 14 2025 20:10:55 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked new Transportation Department regulations limiting immigrant access to commercial driver's licenses after finding procedural missteps and questioning safety justifications.

The Transportation Department's new rules aimed at limiting commercial driver's licenses for immigrants have been put on hold by a federal court due to improper procedural guidelines and inadequate safety rationale. The court highlighted that immigrant drivers represented a small fraction of fatal crashes, raising questions about the necessity of the new regulations. The ruling comes in the wake of a tragic crash in Florida linked to an unauthorized driver, prompting ongoing scrutiny of state licensing practices.

The Transportation Department’s new restrictions that would severely limit which immigrants can get commercial driver’s licenses to drive semitrailers or buses have been put on hold by a federal appeals court.

The court in the District of Columbia ruled Thursday that the rules announced by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in September cannot be enforced at this time, citing a lack of proper procedural drafting and insufficient explanation on how the rules would enhance safety. Notably, the court referenced data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration indicating that immigrant drivers account for only about 5% of all commercial licenses, yet represent a mere 0.2% of fatal crashes.

In September, Duffy emphasized the issue in response to a fatal incident in Florida where a driver without authorization made an illegal U-turn, leading to a multi-fatality accident. The driver involved had obtained their license in California, prompting state audits, which revealed that numerous licenses were issued to immigrants past their work permit expiration.

California acted on these findings earlier this week by revoking 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses.

Neither Duffy nor California Governor Gavin Newsom have responded to inquiries regarding the federal ruling. Newsom's office had maintained that California's licensing procedures complied with guidance provided by the Department of Homeland Security.

Duffy’s push for stricter regulations follows multiple crashes involving unauthorized drivers across several states, including Texas and Alabama. A recent incendiary crash in California led to further scrutiny of immigrant driver licenses.

As per the proposed regulations, only immigrants with specific visa types—H-2a, H-2b, or E-2—would qualify for new licenses, and states would need to verify applicants' legal statuses through federal databases. This would result in a major reduction in eligible drivers from 200,000 to just 10,000. However, current license holders would not be affected until their licenses were up for renewal.

Industry groups like the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association support these new restrictions, which they assert are necessary to maintain highway safety amid concerns about unqualified drivers. Duffy has claimed that California and five other states had inappropriately issued licenses to noncitizens, but direct action has primarily focused on California.

In light of these issues, Duffy has already revoked $40 million in federal funding from California for failed compliance in enforcing English language requirements for truck drivers, threatening to withdraw an additional $160 million if the state does not address improper licensing practices.