California’s Department of Motor Vehicles has delayed plans to cancel about 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses held by individuals unlawfully living in the state, giving them an extra 60 days before the licenses are revoked. The extension follows a lawsuit from leftist immigrant advocacy groups, which argue the move is needed to protect people’s ability to work.
The DMV announced Tuesday that it is pushing back the January 5, 2026, revocation deadline to March 6.
Federal officials, led by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, blasted the Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, accusing California of ducking accountability after issuing licenses that did not comply with federal law and endangered public safety.
Duffy responded to the news by writing on X: “Gavin Newsom is lying. The deadline to revoke illegally issued, unvetted foreign trucker licenses is still January 5. California does NOT have an ‘extension’ to keep breaking the law and putting Americans at risk on the roads. Miss the deadline, Gavin, and the @USDOT will act — including cutting nearly $160 million in federal funding.”
Gavin Newsom is lying. The deadline to revoke illegally issued, unvetted foreign trucker licenses is still January 5.
California does NOT have an “extension” to keep breaking the law and putting Americans at risk on the roads.
Miss the deadline, Gavin, and the @USDOT will act —…
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) December 31, 2025
The potential loss of $160 million in transportation funding is on top of $40 million already withheld from California for failing to enforce federal English-language requirements for truckers. Duffy argues the state was caught ignoring rules requiring proof of lawful presence and work authorization tied to the duration of a license. Federal audits found that some licenses remained valid long after their legal status had expired, while in other cases, officials couldn’t even prove that immigration status had been checked.
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Federal scrutiny intensified after a deadly Florida crash in which an illegal immigrant truck driver made an illegal U-turn and killed three people. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said California gave “an illegal alien a Commercial Driver’s License” who had no “legal right” to be in the United States.
That tragedy highlighted the consequences of weak licensing safeguards. Rather than acknowledge systemic failings, Newsom’s office lashed out at Duffy online, accusing him of lying — even though the DHS and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) identified serious compliance problems, forcing California to finally act.
In reality, California only began revoking the licenses after federal pressure, not out of concern for safety or the rule of law. Even now, the DMV’s “extension” is being celebrated by leftist advocacy groups, while trade associations and federal regulators stress that unvetted or ineligible drivers should never have been licensed in the first place. Trucking groups back Duffy’s push to ensure drivers are legally authorized and sufficiently fluent in English to safely operate massive commercial vehicles on American roads.
Newsom’s response, attacking the messenger rather than fixing the system, contrasts sharply with Duffy’s emphasis on enforcement, public safety, and accountability. Duffy has consistently maintained that California violated long-standing FMCSA rules and that his emergency actions were needed because the state refused to comply until penalties loomed.
Meanwhile, California officials continue to frame the conflict around worker protections instead of public safety and legal compliance — despite DHS publicly stating that California issued a CDL to a driver with “no legal right” to be in the country.
In short, the issue reflects a clear divide: Duffy is insisting on law, safety, and federal standards, while Newsom is prioritizing political messaging over serious regulatory failures that could, and already did, cost lives.
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