Gavin Newsom, California ‘Caught Red Handed,’ 17,000 Illegally Issued CDLs Revoked [WATCH]

California has revoked 17,000 nondomiciled commercial driver’s licenses following an order from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who accused the state of violating federal trucking regulations by issuing licenses to ineligible drivers.

The decision follows months of disagreement between the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and California officials over the state’s compliance with federal commercial driving standards.

BREAKING: California admits they illegally issued 17,000 non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses to “dangerous foreign drivers.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says he’s revoking all of them.

Democrats gave CDLs to foreigners who don’t speak English or understand our… pic.twitter.com/wpZhCIYmKx

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 12, 2025

Duffy has made enforcement of those rules a top priority, particularly after a fatal semitruck crash last summer involving a non-English-proficient illegal immigrant whose license was issued in California.

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“After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed,” Duffy said in a statement Wednesday.

“Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked.”

According to the Transportation Department, the California Department of Motor Vehicles issued the nondomiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) in violation of federal requirements.

Federal law mandates that all CDL applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency and meet eligibility standards for legal residency or lawful presence in the United States.

Duffy warned that failure to correct the violations could result in California losing $160 million in federal transportation funding.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

“My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses.”

In a previous statement to the outlet in late October, the agency maintained that its licensing practices were consistent with federal law, asserting that the Transportation Department had previously allowed the issuance of CDLs to asylum seekers and refugees.

In a September letter obtained by the Washington Examiner, Alicia Fowler, general counsel for the California State Transportation Agency, defended the state’s policies.

“California’s laws, regulations, standards, and orders are either identical to or have the same effect as the federal safety requirements—including the English language proficiency requirement,” Fowler wrote.

However, a recent audit by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) found that approximately 25 percent of nondomiciled CDLs in several states, including California, were issued out of compliance.

The audit identified “systemic non-compliance” in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington.

A DOT spokesperson said the agency “urges all states to revoke illegally issued CDLs,” and confirmed that California was the first state officially cited for noncompliance.

The Transportation Department said it has notified all 17,000 affected drivers that their licenses do not meet federal standards.

Those licenses are set to expire within 60 days.

California, one of the largest CDL-issuing states in the country, must demonstrate full compliance before any new nondomiciled licenses can be issued.

In response to the federal order, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office defended the state’s licensing record.

“Sounds like the federal Secretary of Transportation needs a lesson on his own road rules,” the governor’s office posted on X.

“The facts are plain and simple — California commercial driver’s license holders had a fatal crash rate nearly 40% LOWER than the national average.”

Sounds like the federal Secretary of Transportation needs a lesson on his own road rules.

The facts are plain and simple — California commercial driver’s license holders had a fatal crash rate nearly 40% LOWER than the national average.

Texas — the only state with more…

— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) October 16, 2025

The revocation marks one of the largest federal interventions in state licensing oversight in recent years.

Duffy has emphasized that the action is part of a broader effort to ensure that commercial drivers meet national safety and language requirements designed to prevent accidents and protect U.S. highways.

The Transportation Department said additional reviews of other states identified in the FMCSA audit are underway to determine whether similar violations occurred elsewhere.