California Gov. Gavin Newsom has thrown down the gauntlet against federal authority, greenlighting thousands of migrant truckers to keep rolling on U.S. highways despite strict national regulations.
According to Breitbart, in a bold stand-off, Newsom’s administration has permitted 17,000 migrant commercial drivers to continue operating, directly challenging U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s push to enforce federal licensing rules and remove unauthorized drivers from the roads.
Last month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a sweeping operation dubbed Highway Sentinel, nabbing 101 unauthorized migrant truckers across California from nations as varied as India, Mexico, and Uzbekistan.
Shortly after, the California Department of Motor Vehicles dropped a bombshell announcement, delaying the cancellation of licenses for these 17,000 migrant drivers with Commercial Driver’s Licenses.
Instead of complying with federal mandates, the state DMV has offered a 60-day window for these drivers to retake the state test and renew their credentials, a move that’s raised eyebrows in Washington.
This decision isn’t just a bureaucratic sidestep; it’s a direct jab at federal efforts to prioritize road safety by ensuring drivers meet strict language and legal standards.
Secretary Duffy isn’t playing games, warning that California risks losing a hefty $160 million in federal funding if the state doesn’t revoke these licenses by the specified deadline.
Having already pulled over 7,000 migrant drivers from highways nationwide, Duffy’s message is clear: safety and legality trump state-level defiance every time.
“California does NOT have an ‘extension’ to keep breaking the law and putting Americans at risk on the roads,” Duffy declared on X, cutting through any notion of compromise with a razor-sharp rebuke.
On the other side, DMV Director Steve Gordon argues for leniency, claiming, “Commercial drivers are an important part of our economy — our supply chains don’t move, and our communities don’t stay connected without them,” as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
While supply chains matter, Gordon’s plea sidesteps a critical truth: no economy thrives when safety is sacrificed for expediency, especially on highways where language barriers can spell disaster.
California, already known as the top hub for unauthorized migrants securing commercial licenses, seems more focused on challenging federal authority than addressing these glaring risks.
Adding fuel to the fire, a group of migrant truckers has filed a lawsuit in California against the federal government, aiming to block the cancellation of their licenses under the current administration’s policies.
This legal maneuver, paired with the state’s defiance, paints a picture of a California determined to chart its own course, even if it means a high-stakes collision with national priorities over highway safety and immigration enforcement.