Soon after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he caught California “red-handed” in the unlawful issuance of 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs, the state fired back.
In response to requests for comment from Land Line, a spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the DOT leader was providing a false narrative.
“Once again, the Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth – spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his dear leader,” said Brandon Richards, a deputy director in Newsom’s office.
The jab at Duffy was the latest blow in an ongoing fight between the DOT and California.
DOT announcement
In a DOT news release issued on Wednesday, Nov. 12, Duffy said the California Department of Motor Vehicles admitted to “illegally issuing 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs to dangerous foreign drivers.”
“After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed,” Duffy said in the news release. “Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked. This is just the tip of the iceberg. My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses.”
According to DOT, notices have been issued to non-domiciled CDL holders, saying that their licenses no longer meet federal requirements and will expire in 60 days.
On the social media platform X, Gov. Newsom’s Press Office account posted a copy of the DOT news release and noted the parts it considers to be “lies.”
“These drivers are not ‘illegal immigrants,’” the account wrote. “All had legal presence and had been granted work authorization by the federal government as confirmed by the federal government.”
Additionally, Gov. Newsom’s Press Office account wrote that the licenses were withdrawn because of inconsistencies with California law and that California-licensed CDL holders are involved in fatal crashes at a rate “far below” the national average. For instance, Newsom’s office claimed that Texas has a 50% higher rate of fatal crashes than California.
Once again, the Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth — spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his “dear leader.”
He did, however, finally acknowledge that federal government issued these drivers work permits. https://t.co/SSJ3c7zO7g pic.twitter.com/54GQLliAyF
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 12, 2025
Of course, the online fight did not end there. Duffy countered with a post of his own.
“Blatantly lying to the American people won’t help Newsom’s keyboard warriors get their next jobs,” Duffy wrote on X. “We’ve said all along, @USDOT is reprimanding California for violating FMCSA’s ORIGINAL rules. My emergency rule came as a consequence in part for California’s total disregard of those federal laws – it was THAT BAD.”
Along with the post, Duffy attached several examples of California issuing CDLs past the date of when the non-domiciled CDL holder’s U.S. Work Authorization had expired.
Blatantly lying to the American people won’t help Newsom’s keyboard warriors get their next jobs.
We’ve said all along, @USDOT is reprimanding California for violating @FMCSA‘s ORIGINAL rules.
My emergency rule came as a consequence in part for California’s total disregard of… https://t.co/yLj8fN11Gf pic.twitter.com/ZixWbeGHfH
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 13, 2025
Previous bouts
In October, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said California shared responsibility in an Oct. 21 fatal crash on Interstate 10 in Ontario, Calif. Duffy said the state failed to follow FMCSA’s emergency interim final rule regarding the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs.
The California Highway Patrol confirmed that truck driver Jashanpreet Singh, 21, was arrested on Oct. 21 for driving under the influence of drugs and vehicular manslaughter following the eight-vehicle crash. The charges for driving under the influence were later dropped.
Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security said the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detainer for Singh. According to the DHS, Singh is from India and entered the U.S. illegally in 2022.
The California State Transportation Agency pushed back, posting on X that the state doesn’t decide whether a CDL applicant is eligible.
“MISINFORMATION ALERT: The state does not determine commercial driver’s license eligibility,” the state transportation agency wrote. “The FEDERAL government approves and renews all FEDERAL employment authorization documents that (allow) individuals to work and obtain commercial driver’s licenses.”
In addition to the battle over California’s issuance of non-domiciled CDLs, the DOT has put the state on blast for issuing CDLs to drivers who can’t read or speak English.
Duffy announced in October that the FMCSA would withhold about $41 million from California for not complying with the agency’s English-proficiency standards
Credit: Source link
