Trump administration threatens to take $73 million and all trucker licenses from NY
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference on May 20 in Austin, Texas. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatened to freeze $73 million from New York on Friday for allegedly issuing commercial driver's licenses for immigrants "illegally," which could result in the "total decertification" of the state's CDL program.
Why it matters: The warning comes amid the Trump administration's broader goal of pushing undocumented immigrants out of the American workforce and a broader push to remove non-proficient English speakers off the road.
What they're saying: "When more than half of the licenses reviewed were issued illegally, it isn't just a mistake—it is a dereliction of duty by state leadership," Duffy said in a Friday news release.
- "Gov. Hochul must immediately revoke these illegally issued licenses. If they refuse to follow the law, we will withhold federal highway funding."
- "This administration will never stop fighting to keep you and your family safe on our roads," he added.
Context: A non-domiciled CDL is a U.S. license for a non-citizen, and is routinely issued to foreign drivers who can meet all of the DOT licensing requirements.
The other side: "Secretary Duffy is lying about New York State once again in a desperate attempt to distract from the failing, chaotic administration he represents," a NY DMV spokesperson told Axios in an emailed statement.
- "Here is the truth: Commercial Drivers Licenses are regulated by the Federal Government, and New York State DMV has, and will continue to, comply with federal rules."
- "Every CDL we issue is subject to verification of an applicant's lawful status through federally-issued documents reviewed in accordance with federal regulations."
- "This is just another stunt from Secretary Duffy, and it does nothing to keep our roads safer. We will review USDOT's letter and respond accordingly."
Catch up quick: The Trump administration has sought to crackdown on the amount of non-citizen drivers on the road and attempted to prohibit states from issuing non-domiciled CDLs earlier this year.
- A D.C. Court of Appeals judge blocked that move in November, but some states, such as Virginia and Georgia, have paused new applications as the legal challenge unfolds.
State of play: Roughly 18% of all truck drivers are immigrants, and the often-grueling industry is already short of tens of thousands of drivers.
- Nonetheless, several high-profile fatal crashes involving immigrants over the years have spurred the wave of new restrictions.
By the numbers: Duffy said 53% of New York's non-domiciled CDLs reviewed by DOT were issued "unlawfully or illegally."
- The review only sampled 200 licenses, but 107 of them violated federal law, according to DOT.
Zoom in: Duffy said NY's DMV system automatically issues an 8-year license to drivers, regardless of if their work authorization or legal status expires before then.
- He also said that the state frequently skips verifying if applicants have a visa or are in the country legally.
Zoom out: The administration also announced it was revoking roughly 9,500 licenses for failing to meet the president's reinstated English-language proficiency requirements earlier this week.
- That move essentially reversed an Obama-era order that softened the ELP requirements back in 2016.
What we're watching: DOT will trigger the funding freeze if NY doesn't fix the problems the department identified within 30 days.
Go deeper: Immigration crackdown fears hit white-collar offices
Editor's note: This story has been updated with an NY DMV statement.
