Sikh Coalition sues California DMV to challenge revocation of immigrant truck driver licenses
Key takeaways
- California DMV’s license revocation affects over 20,000 immigrant truckers, risking livelihoods and supply chain stability.
- Clerical errors highlight the need for fleets to monitor licensing compliance and stay informed on regulatory changes.
- Policy shifts on noncitizen commercial licenses and language requirements could remove hundreds of thousands of drivers nationwide.
The Sikh Coalition recently filed a class-action lawsuit against the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) on behalf of five commercial driver’s license holders. The company, which advocates for the civil rights of Sikhs, is challenging the DMV’s decision to revoke the licenses of thousands of immigrant drivers after a federal audit found their licenses were set to expire beyond their legal U.S. stay.
The DMV issued 60-day cancellation notices on November 6 to 17,000 drivers, a number that has since grown to over 20,000. The lawsuit alleges that California law requires the DMV to correct clerical errors or allow drivers to reapply, rather than terminate licenses. Many of the affected drivers work in long-haul trucking, carrying fresh produce and other goods, and their removal from the industry threatens both individual livelihoods and supply chain stability, according to the coalition.
“If the court does not issue a stay, we will see a devastating wave of unemployment that harms individual families, as well as the destabilization of supply chains on which we all rely,” said Munmeeth Kaur, legal director of the Sikh Coalition.
