U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday that New York typically issues permits to immigrants that can be valid long after they gain legal residency, and threatened to withhold $73 million in highway funding unless the system is fixed.
New York officials said they are following all federal rules regarding driver’s licenses and have been verifying drivers’ immigration status.
New York is the latest state targeted by Duffy in his efforts to ensure truck and bus drivers are eligible for licenses. This comes after a truck driver who was not authorized to enter the United States made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people. But the provisions of these licenses have been in place for many years.
The Transportation Department says it is reviewing these non-resident licenses nationwide, but so far the states he has threatened with sanctions are all led by Democratic governors. But Duffy said Friday the effort is not political. He said this is to ensure everyone driving an 80,000-pound truck is qualified and safe.
Duffy said federal investigators found that more than half of the 200 licenses they reviewed in New York were issued improperly, with many of them defaulting to a validity period of eight years, regardless of when an immigrant’s work permit expired. He said the state was unable to prove it had issued 32,000 valid non-resident commercial driver’s licenses and verified the immigration status of those drivers. Additionally, investigators found examples of New York issuing permits even though the applicant’s work authorization had expired.
“When more than half of the licenses reviewed were issued illegally, this is not just a mistake, but a failure of state leadership. Governor (Kathy) Hochul must immediately revoke these illegally issued licenses,” Duffy said.
New York has 30 days to respond to these concerns. State DMV spokesman Walter McClure defended the state’s approach.
“Secretary Duffy is once again lying about New York State in a desperate attempt to distract from the failed, chaotic government he represents. The facts are this: Commercial driver’s licenses are federally regulated, and the New York State DMV has and will continue to comply with federal rules,” McClure said.
Immigrants make up about 20% of all truck drivers, but these non-settled driver’s licenses only account for about 5% of all commercial driver’s licenses. The Department of Transportation also proposed new restrictions that would severely limit who noncitizens could obtain licenses, but courts have put the new rules on hold.
The audit found significant problems with existing rules, such as commercial licenses remaining valid long after immigrant truck drivers’ work permits expire, and Duffy threatening to withhold millions of dollars from California, Pennsylvania and Minnesota. The pressure prompted California to revoke 17,000 licenses.
