The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued a stay against the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) rules on illegal immigrant truck drivers, allowing them to remain on highways.
“The purpose of this administrative stay is to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the emergency motions for stay pending review and should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of those motions,” the order reads.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy directed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to audit all states’ issuance of non‑domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDL).
The rules require that CDL applicants provide an unexpired foreign passport and a valid work visa, and licenses must expire no later than the driver’s legal status in the U.S. Those in the country illegally are no longer eligible.
The policy aims to protect American citizens, as the Department of Homeland Security announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking the arrest of an illegal immigrant serving as a truck driver in California who killed three people during a DUI accident. Jashanpreet Singh, an Indian national, was arrested by San Bernardino County officials on charges of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence. He was released into the country under the Biden administration upon first entering the United States in 2022.
News of the arrest detainer followed Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filing a lawsuit against California and Washington in the Supreme Court, alleging the states’ granting of Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) to illegal immigrants has endangered U.S. citizens.
