California Revokes 13,000 Non-Domiciled CDLs
In the latest battle of federal vs. state governments, California was dealt a heavy blow as it conceded ground on non-domiciled CDLs, revoking them from drivers who were issued them in California.
Details
With the federal government threatening to withhold funding to the Golden State unless it capitulates to its demands, California has decided to play ball with the Trump Administration. It just goes to show the power of the coinpurse.
Although California has revoked the non-domiciled CDLs and notified the drivers of such, they are not too happy with having to do so. “This federal administration is using their war on immigration to remove qualified, hardworking commercial drivers from our workforce who meet language and safety rules,” said California DMV Director Steve Gordon. “There are no guarantees that additional solutions will become available to help these drivers and their employers but, in the meantime, there are immediate actions they must take to get a Class C license to be able to drive regular cars.”
The DMV went on to publish a statement voicing its begrudging cooperation: “Non-domiciled individuals are those who do not have citizenship or lawful permanent resident status, and includes holders of various visas, refugees, and asylees. Federal law permits these individuals to obtain a CDL. Contrary to misleading statements by the Trump Administration, all the individuals issued non-domiciled CDLs by the DMV had been granted work authorization by the federal government and were legally present in the United States at the time their license was issued. While a recent court ruling now allows affected individuals to submit a new CDL application, the federal government is barring the DMV from processing these applications currently. Given that the DMV is compliant with state and federal law, it is incumbent upon the federal government to allow the DMV to process those applications and issue licenses to eligible drivers.“
Conclusion
So the question that remains is: will there be a lawsuit? The Trump Administration has been embroiled in countless legal battles since his second term began, and stems from well before even that, so our prediction is that this will go through the court system and a decision will have to be made, then appealed, then made again. Fasten your seatbelts, as the ride has just begun!
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