The Sikh Coalition and the Asian Law Caucus filed a class-action lawsuit against the California DMV after officials moved to revoke commercial driver's licenses for roughly 21,000 immigrant truck drivers. The plaintiffs say the planned revocations violate due process and have asked Alameda County Superior Court to temporarily halt cancellations while litigation proceeds. California says its action responds to federal pressure tied to a crackdown on states issuing licenses to immigrants, an effort that has drawn renewed attention after recent fatal truck crashes.
Immigrant Truckers File Class-Action Suit After California Moves To Revoke Thousands Of CDLs
FILE - A truck departs from a Port of Oakland shipping terminal on Nov. 10, 2021, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
A group of immigrant truck drivers filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday against the California Department of Motor Vehicles, alleging the state violated thousands of workers' rights by moving to revoke their commercial driver's licenses (CDLs).
California officials initially notified about 17,000 drivers that their CDLs would be revoked because the licenses' expiration dates extended beyond the period the drivers were legally authorized to remain in the United States. That number has since risen to roughly 21,000.
Legal Challenge
The Sikh Coalition, a national civil-rights organization for Sikhs, together with the San Francisco–based Asian Law Caucus, filed the lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court on behalf of the affected drivers. The advocacy groups argue the state's plan to cancel the drivers' licenses violates due process and threatens livelihoods. They have asked the court to temporarily halt the planned cancellations while the legal challenge proceeds.
“These drivers have spent years anchoring their lives to these careers, only to now face potential economic ruin through no fault of their own — they deserve better, and California must do better,” said Munmeeth Kaur, the Sikh Coalition’s legal director.
Federal Pressure And State Response
California officials say the move followed a federal crackdown initiated under the Trump administration targeting states that issued licenses to immigrants. The federal government has threatened to withhold funding from California, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and New York over the practice. The California DMV declined to comment on the pending litigation.
Public Safety Context
Concerns about immigrant drivers gained wider attention after two fatal crashes: in August, a tractor-trailer driver in Florida who was not authorized to be in the U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash that killed three people; in October, a fiery crash in California that also killed three involved a driver who was in the country illegally. Advocates stress that public safety concerns should be addressed without stripping workers of due-process protections.
The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief to block the planned revocations and protect drivers' ability to earn a living while the courts determine whether the DMV's actions were lawful.
