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The California DMV is facing a lawsuit filed on behalf of nearly 20,000 immigrant truck drivers over the state’s plans to revoke their driver’s licenses (CDLs).
The Asian Law Caucus and the Sikh Coalition, along with the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in an effort to stop the California DMV from canceling CDLs, a complaint it says will “result in many job suspensions” starting January 5, 2026.
“This case was filed on behalf of the Jakara Movement and five commercial drivers who were deprived of their rights and means of livelihood,” said a joint statement by the Asian Law Caucus and Sikh Coalition. “According to reports from the San Francisco Chronicle and KQED, California state officials have communicated that they will resume issuing licenses on December 17. Despite these public assurances, the state has not yet reissued the disputed licenses or implemented a corrective action date without indicating that it plans to do so before January 5.”
The case alleges that on Nov. 6, the California DMV notified 17,299 immigrant drivers and business owners that their non-subordinate CDLs will be canceled on Jan. 5, 2026, due to an error with the license expiration date. A similar letter was sent to an additional 2,700 drivers in December, informing them that their licenses would be canceled in mid-February.
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The truck leaves the Port of Oakland on Nov. 10, 2021, in Oakland, Calif. (Noah Berger, File/AP Photo)
The DMV is required to set an expiration date for a CDL issued to an immigrant on or before the expiration date of the driver’s work authorization or legal presence documents, depending on the case. However, the lawsuit alleges that the DMV’s letters violated California’s due process, which would require the department to cancel a license without prejudice or change the expiration date.
“For all 19,999 immigrants, the DMV intends to cancel their business licenses without providing any opportunity to obtain amended licenses or to contest the revocation,” the lawsuit states.
The filing continues that “despite its oversight, the DMV has not consistently ensured that a CDL’s expiration date coincides with the expiration of a person’s work authorization or legal presence.”
People walk in the rain at the Arleta DMV in Arleta on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
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In November, after major tensions between the federal government and California, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that the Golden State was planning to revoke no less than 17,000 CDLs. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office dismissed the DOT’s assertion that his state “agreed to issue licenses” illegally. However, according to the lawsuit, notices were sent to more than 17,000 reported drivers.
The lawsuit notes that the revocation of CDLs affects more than just the drivers themselves, saying that drivers “play a vital role in our local and national economy, providing essential services that communities rely on every day, including transporting food, driving children to school and delivering produce.”
“The sudden loss of their ability to work threatens not only their lives but also the stability of our supply chains and the services the public relies on. Neither individual nor our communities can sustain the damage that will occur if these drivers lose their licenses, jobs, and economic stability,” the lawsuit reads.
California plans to revoke 17,000 business driver’s licenses after pressure from the Trump administration. (Fred Greaves/Reuters; Rachel Wisniewski/Reuters)
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The lawsuit describes some of the plaintiffs’ actions after receiving the November letter. In one incident, the complainant identified as John Doe 4 allegedly received a letter despite his CDL expiring on the same day as his work permit, the very document he allegedly used to renew his license. The lawsuit says there are recipients of cancellation letters whose CDLs appear to be compatible.
In one instance, a member of the Jakara Movement — which describes itself as a “grassroots community-building organization working to empower, educate, and organize working-class Punjabi Sikhs, and other marginalized communities” — tried to address his concerns about the cancellation by going to a DMV office in person. The lawsuit alleges that when the Jakara member arrived at the DMV office, “she was pressured to surrender her CDL, fearing that her non-commercial driver’s license would be revoked.”
In addition, the lawsuit states that “the DMV has not explained how it identified 19,999 licenses as inconsistent with state law and how it can ensure that its decisions are accurate.”
Aerial view, trucks driving on Interstate 80 on Nov. 14, 2025, in Albany, Calif. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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The lawsuit asks the judge to issue an injunction, preliminary injunction or temporary injunction that would require the California DMV to ensure that the plaintiffs and those subject to the class action are able to obtain a modified CDL “without interference with their driving privileges.”
The Trump administration has launched a crackdown on the CDL issuance process as part of its efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. The move came after a series of fatal accidents involving homeless CDL holders.
The California DMV office and Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
