The lawsuit was filed in Alameda County Superior Court.
Immigrant Truckers File Class Action Against California Over CDL Cancellations
A group of immigrant truck drivers has filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Motor Vehicles, claiming the state’s plan to revoke commercial driver’s licences is unlawful and will cause significant harm to workers and their families.
The lawsuit was filed in Alameda County Superior Court. It was brought by the Sikh Coalition, a national civil-rights organisation, and the Asian Law Caucus on behalf of the affected drivers. According to the organisations, California’s decision violates the due process rights of licence holders and threatens their economic stability.
According to the lawsuit, approximately 17,000 truckers received notices from the DMV informing them their commercial driver’s licences would be revoked because the licences were set to expire after the drivers’ legally authorised period of stay in the United States. The number of affected drivers has reportedly increased as additional notices were issued.
Munmeeth Kaur, Legal Director at the Sikh Coalition, said in a statement supporting the lawsuit that “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.”
Legal representatives for the drivers contend that the state’s actions jeopardise livelihoods built over many years and that the revocations should be paused while the case is heard. The complaint asserts that the DMV’s plan to cancel the licences without adequate procedural protections contravenes fundamental rights.
The California DMV declined to comment on the pending litigation when approached for a response.
The issue has gained wider attention amid national debate over licensing for immigrant drivers, with concerns amplified by recent fatal truck crashes involving drivers not authorised to be in the United States. One such incident in Florida in August resulted in an illegal U-turn that killed three people, and another crash in California in October similarly involved a driver without legal status, further intensifying public and regulatory scrutiny.
Source: The Tribune
