En esta noticia
The federal government is moving forward with restricting commercial driver’s licenses for those who cannot prove legal immigration status.
A rule promoted by President Donald Trump requires states to verify immigration status before issuing or renewing these permits. The measure affects truck, bus, and other commercial vehicle drivers across the country.
The regulation targets the so-called commercial licenses for non-domiciled residents (non-domiciled CDL), granted to non-citizen temporary residents. These permits were designed to expire along with each driver’s immigration status.
The states’ response has been mixed. Oregon went further than required and suspended all issuance of CDL licenses for non-citizens. California, meanwhile, faces a legal challenge that currently prevents the mass revocation.
Commercial driver’s licenses: what the new federal law establishes
On February 13, the FMCSA and the Department of Transportation issued a directive requiring states to grant commercial licenses only to those who have “verifiable employment-based immigration status”. The deadline to comply expired on March 16.
The measure is part of a broader immigration policy by Trump, who called for approving the “Dalilah Act.” That legislation seeks to prohibit any state from issuing commercial licenses to people with irregular status.
The case that prompted the proposal occurred in November in Oregon. A 25-year-old man and his wife died after a collision with a semi-truck driven by Rajinder Kumar, who had a temporary license issued in California. ICE requested his detention for having entered the country illegally.
What states are doing in response to the suspension of licenses
Oregon applied the rule strictly: it suspended the issuance and renewal of CDL licenses for any non-citizen temporary resident. About 1,400 people in that state have valid licenses; they will be able to keep them, but the DMV will not accept new applications.
Indiana directly canceled the 1,800 licenses already issued to non-citizens. California, meanwhile, faces a legal action that for now prevents revoking existing permits, which total nearly 20,000.
People affected by the restriction
- Asylum seekers with valid work permits.
- DACA recipients.
- Holders of temporary work visas.
- Non-citizen temporary residents in states with broad enforcement, such as Oregon.
What will happen to driver’s licenses already issued
The situation varies by state. At the federal level, the rule does not require canceling existing permits, only preventing new issuances. But each state can apply stricter criteria, as happened in Oregon and Indiana.
The debate over the measure’s constitutionality will continue in the courts in the coming weeks. California’s case could set a precedent for other states with large populations of drivers with temporary immigration status.