California has announced plans to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants after discovering that many had expiration dates extending beyond their authorized stay in the United States.

The move follows mounting criticism from the Trump administration over state policies allowing people without permanent legal status to obtain commercial licenses. The issue gained national attention after a fatal Florida crash in August involving a truck driver who was in the country illegally.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the decision proves California “acted improperly” and accused Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration of misleading the public. “Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked,” Duffy said, adding that more reviews are underway.

Newsom’s office rejected the accusation, saying all affected drivers had valid federal work authorizations when the licenses were issued. A later clarification noted that state law requires commercial licenses to expire no later than the holder’s authorized stay in the U.S.

Newsom’s spokesperson Brandon Richards accused Duffy of spreading “falsehoods” to score political points.

The revocation comes as the Trump administration imposes tighter rules on immigrants seeking commercial driving permits, limiting eligibility to a few visa categories such as H-2A, H-2B, and E-2. California risks losing up to $200 million in federal funds if it fails to meet new federal standards.

End/AP/UNB/SS

Los Angeles, Nov 13 (AP/UNB) — California has announced plans to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants after discovering that many had expiration dates extending beyond their authorized stay in the United States.

The move follows mounting criticism from the Trump administration over state policies allowing people without permanent legal status to obtain commercial licenses. The issue gained national attention after a fatal Florida crash in August involving a truck driver who was in the country illegally.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the decision proves California “acted improperly” and accused Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration of misleading the public. “Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked,” Duffy said, adding that more reviews are underway.

Newsom’s office rejected the accusation, saying all affected drivers had valid federal work authorizations when the licenses were issued. A later clarification noted that state law requires commercial licenses to expire no later than the holder’s authorized stay in the U.S.

Newsom’s spokesperson Brandon Richards accused Duffy of spreading “falsehoods” to score political points.

The revocation comes as the Trump administration imposes tighter rules on immigrants seeking commercial driving permits, limiting eligibility to a few visa categories such as H-2A, H-2B, and E-2. California risks losing up to $200 million in federal funds if it fails to meet new federal standards.