Federal Court Slams Brakes on Trumps Immigrant Trucker Crackdown

Judges Say Safety Data Doesnt Add Up

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wanted to strip commercial licenses from nearly 200,000 immigrant truckers. He called it a national emergency.

He skipped the normal rulemaking process. And he pointed to a deadly crash in Florida as proof that action was needed immediately.

But a federal appeals court just blocked the whole thing, and the reason comes down to one question Duffy couldn’t answer: where’s the evidence?

The Rule Would Have Cut 190,000 Drivers

Duffy announced the emergency rule on September 29, 2025, and it took effect immediately.

Under the new restrictions, only immigrants holding H-2A, H-2B, or E-2 visas could get or renew a commercial driver’s license.

That meant temporary agricultural workers, temporary non-agricultural workers, and foreign investors. Everyone else was out.

Of the roughly 200,000 noncitizens currently holding commercial licenses, only about 10,000 would still qualify. The other 190,000 would lose their licenses when they came up for renewal.

A Florida Crash Started It All

On August 12, 2025, a tractor-trailer driven by 28-year-old Harjinder Singh attempted an illegal U-turn through an emergency access point on Florida’s Turnpike near Fort Pierce. His truck jackknifed across all lanes.

A minivan carrying three people slammed into the trailer. All three passengers died at the scene.

Video from inside the cab showed the moment Singh turned into oncoming traffic. Within days, the crash became a flashpoint in the national immigration debate.

Singh Failed His CDL Test 10 Times

Investigators dug into Singh’s background and found a troubling pattern.

According to the Florida Attorney General’s Office, Singh failed his commercial driver’s license knowledge exam 10 times in Washington state within two months. He also failed his air brakes test twice.

He eventually obtained a license in California in 2024.

The Department of Homeland Security said Singh entered the country illegally in 2018 near San Ysidro, California.

He was denied a work permit under the first Trump administration in 2020, then approved under Biden in 2021.

Duffy Called It a National Emergency

The Transportation Department skipped the usual notice-and-comment period that lets the public weigh in on new regulations.

Duffy’s agency claimed it had “good cause” to act immediately, pointing to at least five fatal crashes involving non-domiciled CDL holders in 2025.

Officials argued that announcing the rule in advance would have triggered a rush of last-minute applications, making the problem worse.

The agency also revealed that audits in California found more than 25% of non-domiciled licenses were improperly issued.

The Court Said Duffy Cut Corners

On November 13, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit blocked the rule with a 2-1 decision. Judges found that the Transportation Department failed to consult with states before issuing the restrictions, which federal law requires.

The court also ruled that Duffy’s agency didn’t provide adequate justification for skipping the public comment process. The government had argued the situation was too urgent.

The judges disagreed, saying the agency created what petitioners called a “contrived emergency.

The Governments Own Data Backfired

The court pointed to numbers that undercut Duffy’s safety argument.

According to data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, non-domiciled CDL holders make up about 5% of all commercial license holders in the country. But they account for only about 0.2% of fatal crashes.

The judges wrote that the agency failed to explain how removing these drivers would actually make roads safer, especially since less experienced replacements would likely fill their spots.

School Bus Drivers Got Caught Up Too

The rule didn’t just affect long-haul truckers. Asylum seekers, refugees, and DACA recipients would have been barred from holding commercial licenses. That includes people who drive school buses and public transit.

King County, Washington, filed a legal challenge noting it employs noncitizens with CDLs to operate its public bus fleet.

The American Federation of Teachers and AFSCME joined the lawsuit because many school bus drivers would have lost their jobs under the new restrictions.

California Pulled 17,000 Licenses Anyway

While the federal rule was tied up in court, California took its own action.

On November 12, 2025, the state announced it would revoke 17,000 commercial licenses issued to immigrants. The problem wasn’t the federal rule.

Instead, the state discovered these licenses had expiration dates that extended past when the drivers were legally allowed to work in the country.

The California DMV sent letters giving affected drivers 60 days notice.

Governor Newsom’s office said the drivers all had valid federal work authorization when they applied.

Duffy Threatened Hundreds of Millions in Cuts

The Transportation Secretary didn’t back down after the court ruling.

He had already withheld $40 million from California over claims the state wasn’t enforcing English language requirements for truckers.

Duffy threatened to take another $160 million if California didn’t address every improperly issued license.

He also went after other states, sending audit findings to Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington.

In December, he threatened to pull $73 million from New York after claiming more than half of its non-domiciled licenses were issued illegally.

Congress Could Make the Rule Permanent

The court’s stay is temporary. Judges will review the full legal challenge and issue a final ruling, likely sometime in 2026.

But even if the lawsuit succeeds, Duffy has a backup plan. A bill called the Non-Domiciled CDL Integrity Act is moving through Congress.

If it passes, the restrictions Duffy announced would become permanent law, immune to court challenges over rulemaking procedures.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is pushing for quick passage, calling it essential to protect safety reforms from being undone.

The Fight Over Immigrant Truckers Isnt Over

For now, states can keep issuing and renewing commercial licenses under the old rules. Asylum seekers, refugees, and DACA recipients can still drive trucks and buses legally.

But Duffy has made clear he won’t stop pushing. He responded to the court ruling on social media, writing that he would “FIGHT this ruling” and calling the licensing system “a DIRECT THREAT to the public.”

The legal battle continues, the political battle is heating up, and 190,000 drivers are waiting to see which side wins.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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