This post is another example of the horrific consequences of a failed government immigration policy!

 

Trump Admin Warns California: Stop Giving Illegal Aliens Commercial Licenses Or Lose Funding

Jessica Costescu  freebeacon.com September 26, 2025

Foreigners with illegal commercial licenses have been in five fatal crashes this year alone.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned California on Friday that his department would withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in federal highway funding from California if it continues issuing commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) to illegal aliens and other ineligible foreigners.

Duffy's threat stems from an emergency rule the Department of Transportation rolled out imposing stricter rules on states regarding CDLs, prohibiting them from issuing the licenses to foreigners unless they hold employment-based visas and can pass a federal immigration status check. The rule came in response to an ongoing audit that revealed "a catastrophic pattern of states issuing licenses illegally to foreign drivers"—particularly in California—with at least five fatal crashes this year involving license holders. In one instance, an illegal immigrant who obtained his license from California killed three people in a Florida crash while making an illegal U-turn.

Duffy said the audit's findings "should disturb and anger every American."

"Licenses to operate a massive, 80,000-pound truck are being issued to dangerous foreign drivers—often times illegally," he said. "This is a direct threat to the safety of every family on the road, and I won't stand for it. Today's actions will prevent unsafe foreign drivers from renewing their licenses and hold states accountable to immediately invalidating improperly issued licenses."

The audit uncovered that in California more than a quarter of reviewed CDLs held by foreign nationals were issued improperly. In some cases, licenses remained valid for up to four years beyond the expiration of their legal stay.

Duffy ordered California to put an immediate pause on issuing CDLs to foreign nationals and to revoke licenses that don't comply with the new regulations. If the state fails to comply within 30 days, it could risk losing $160 million in federal highway funds for the first year, and doubling in the second. Duffy said the Transportation Department could even strip California's ability to issue CDLs, though he added that "we don't want to do that."

"California's reckless disregard is frankly disgusting and an affront to the millions of Americans who expect us to keep them safe," Duffy said. "California must get its act together immediately or I will not hesitate to pull millions in funding."

A spokeswoman for California governor Gavin Newsom, Diana Crofts-Pelayo, attacked Duffy and touted the state's safety record.

"Former D-list reality star, now Secretary of Transportation, still doesn't understand federal law. We'll respond to today's letter in due course," Crofts-Pelayo told the Washington Free Beacon. "In the meantime, unlike this clown, we'll stick to the facts: California commercial driver's license holders had a fatal crash rate nearly 40% LOWER than the national average. Texas — the only state with more commercial holders — has a rate almost 50% higher than California. Facts don't lie. The Trump administration does."

Duffy also put Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington on notice as well, and said a formal threat could be expected in the coming days.

"To every other state around the country—find all improperly issued CDLs and revoke their licenses now," Duffy said. "We owe it to the American people to ensure only lawful, qualified drivers are operating big rigs on our highways."