California delayed cancellation of immigrant truckers' licenses. So feds will withhold $160 million
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After California paused a plan to cancel the licenses of thousands of immigrant truckers, federal officials announced Wednesday they would withhold $160 million in transportation funds from the state.The state was set to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses for immigrants by Jan.
5 but instead extended the deadline amid the threat of a civil class-action lawsuit by immigrant rights groups.Then the U.S.Department of Transportation took action, exacerbating the ongoing conflict between California and Washington.“It’s reckoning day for Gavin Newsom and California.
Our demands were simple: follow the rules, revoke the unlawfully-issued licenses to dangerous foreign drivers, and fix the system so this never happens again,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.“Gavin Newsom has failed to do so — putting the needs of illegal immigrants over the safety of the American people.”Gov.
Newsom’s office referred a request for comment to state transportation officials.The California Department of Motor Vehicles said in a statement that it did not approve of Wednesday’s action and that it had been compliant with state and federal regulations.“We strongly disagree with the federal government’s decision to withhold vital transportation funding from California — their action jeopardizes public safety because these funds are critical for maintaining and improving the roadways we all rely on every day,” the statement read.The $160 million in funding being withheld is in addition to the $40 million that Duffy pulled from the state last year.
He claims the state is not enforcing English proficiency requirements for truckers, but state officials say they have been in compliance.The standoff between Newsom and Duffy began in June when Duffy carried out a nationwide audit of state programs that issued commercial driver’s licenses to immigrants who w...