The California Department of Motor Vehicles said it canceled about 13,000 non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses as of March 6 that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found were issued in violation of federal eligibility requirements. 

California said it unsuccessfully sought an emergency stay from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that would have allowed the DMV to reissue corrected non-domiciled CDLs to eligible individuals without the risk of retaliatory action by the FMCSA.

The DMV defended its policies, stating that all individuals issued non-domiciled CDLs by the state had been granted work authorization by the federal government and were legally present in the United States at the time their licenses were issued.

In order to continue driving passenger vehicles or light-duty trucks, affected drivers must obtain a new Class C California driver’s license.

“This federal administration is using their war on immigration to remove qualified, hardworking commercial drivers from our workforce who meet language and safety rules,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. “There are no guarantees that additional solutions will become available to help these drivers and their employers but, in the meantime, there are immediate actions they must take to get a Class C license to be able to drive regular cars.”

The licenses of several thousand non-domiciled CDL holders who are not affected will remain valid until their current expiration dates. However, these CDL holders will not be able to renew, get a replacement, or make any changes to their driver’s license.

Later this month, an updated final rule from the FMCSA is scheduled to take effect, restricting eligibility requirements for non-domiciled CDLs nationwide. The rule is being challenged in court.