Critics accuse Trump administration of targeting legal immigrants as nearly 200,000 truck drivers face license revocations nationwide

Texas – Texas has become one of the main battlegrounds in the growing national debate over immigration, with recent policy changes reaching far beyond the southern border. State agencies and lawmakers have introduced stricter requirements affecting employment, transportation, education, and everyday life for many noncitizens. Critics argue that these measures are creating what amounts to a system of exclusion, while supporters insist they are necessary for public safety and enforcement of existing laws. Against that backdrop, a new federal policy affecting commercial truck drivers is drawing intense scrutiny and expanding the debate nationwide.

The latest controversy centers on a U.S. Department of Transportation rule that could leave nearly 200,000 truck drivers at risk of losing their commercial driver’s licenses. The policy, which took effect in March, restricts license eligibility to immigrants holding certain employment authorization categories while excluding others who are legally present in the United States, including many asylum seekers, refugees, and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

The change has triggered lawsuits, sparked opposition from labor groups, and left thousands of drivers uncertain about their futures as federal courts continue reviewing legal challenges.

Drivers Caught in the Middle

For many affected workers, the issue is not political—it is personal.

One example is Sarabjeet Singh, an immigrant from India who has spent more than a decade driving trucks in California. When he attempted to renew his commercial license after it expired, officials refused to process it under the new rules.

His wife, Kavita Patel, described the impact on their family in stark terms. “This not only affected us financially, but this is a huge burden mentally, emotionally, physically.”

She explained that trucking is not a job that can easily be replaced overnight. Years of experience, training, and specialized knowledge are tied directly to the profession. “It’s kind of a fear and helplessness that comes from waking up one day and realizing, ‘Oh, guess what, your career that you built is suddenly all gone in one night,’” she added.

Stories like theirs are becoming increasingly common as drivers discover that legal work authorization alone may no longer be enough to maintain their commercial licenses.

Safety Argument Faces Scrutiny

The Trump administration has defended the rule as a public safety measure. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy argued that licenses were “being issued to dangerous foreign drivers, often times illegally.” He added, “This is a direct threat to the safety of every family on the road, and I won’t stand for it.” Administration officials have pointed to five fatal accidents involving immigrant truck drivers as evidence supporting the policy.

Critics, however, argue that the numbers do not justify such a sweeping change. Those five accidents represented only 0.31% of all fatal large-truck crashes recorded during the first half of 2025. Data also shows that roughly one-fifth of truck drivers involved in fatal crashes did not possess a commercial license at all.

Questions surrounding the policy intensified when Duffy was confronted by a DACA recipient during an April event. After being asked why DACA holders were now excluded from commercial licenses, Duffy responded, “well, it shouldn’t.”

Under this Administration, the days of allowing ILLEGAL TRUCKERS to get behind the wheel are OVER

❌ 28,000 illegally issued commercial drivers’ licenses for unqualified foreign drivers REVOKED
❌ 20,000 drivers knocked OUT-OF-SERVICE for not following English-proficiency rules pic.twitter.com/GMB7v6tICF

— USDOT Rapid Response (@USDOTRapid) May 19, 2026

Federal officials later said he had misunderstood the question and misspoke. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration subsequently denied accusations that the policy was discriminatory.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also supported the administration’s position, arguing that growing numbers of immigrant truck drivers pose safety concerns and are “undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.”

Critics Say Evidence Does Not Support the Rule

Opponents argue that the administration has failed to provide data demonstrating that legally authorized immigrant drivers are a unique safety threat.

The National Safety Council reported approximately 5,200 fatal large-truck crashes in 2024, a figure that was actually lower than the previous year.

Labor organizations have been particularly critical. In a letter to Congress, the AFL-CIO wrote, “While DOT premised its rule on safety, its own data indicated that the CDL holders excluded by the rule (immigrant drivers) were involved in fatal crashes at a lower rate than CDL holders who are not excluded, meaning the rule would worsen, and not improve, safety.”

Many supporters of the policy frequently refer to illegal immigration when defending it. Yet critics point out that the rule primarily affects people who are legally authorized to live and work in the United States.

Some Democratic-led states, including New York, have attempted to resist federal demands to revoke certain licenses. In response, the Department of Transportation has warned that transportation funding could be affected.

Industry Concerns Continue to Grow

Veteran truck drivers say the policy punishes workers who followed every requirement imposed on them.

California-based driver Narinder Johal, who has spent nearly three decades in the industry, argued that the people being removed from the workforce are often those who complied with every rule. “The people who were working, paying their taxes, fulfilling all the rules and regulations, what the government issued, they’re off the road right now.”

Another longtime driver, Ignacio Romero, believes broader issues are at play. Having worked in trucking for 37 years, he says he has repeatedly experienced discrimination. “I experienced a lot of racism throughout my 37 years of driving. We are constantly being profiled. I’ve been stopped three times this year.”

Romero questioned why a small number of accidents is being used to justify consequences for such a large group. “Why just put a general blanket statement and punish 200,000 for the actual five drivers [who were in accidents]?” He added, “I’ve always been suspicious that it was more racism, more blanket statements than holding the individuals involved in those events accountable.”

The number of foreign-born truck drivers has more than doubled over the last two decades, rising from roughly 316,000 in 2000 to more than 720,000 by 2021. That growth has transformed the industry and intensified debates about labor, immigration, and regulation.

For drivers like Julio Ortiz, who regularly travels between Mexico and the United States, the issue remains simple. “I believe it’s a grave error to place such an obstacle in the path of people who simply wish to work honestly.”

As legal challenges continue, the future of thousands of professional drivers remains uncertain. What supporters describe as a safety reform, critics increasingly view as a sweeping policy that could reshape the trucking industry while placing the livelihoods of nearly 200,000 legally authorized workers at risk.