After Sikh group lawsuit, California delays revocation of 17,000 truckers licences - The Tribune
California delayed revoking 17,000 commercial driver’s licences until March following a lawsuit by a Sikh group and federal funding concerns.Summary
California has postponed the revocation of 17,000 commercial driver’s licences until March after a lawsuit was filed by a group of immigrant truckers, spearheaded by the Sikh Coalition and the Asian Law Caucus. The delay comes as U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned the state could lose $160 million in federal funding if it doesn’t meet a January 5th deadline to revoke licences, having already withheld $40 million due to concerns over English proficiency enforcement. The issue gained prominence after fatal crashes in Florida and California involving truck drivers not authorized to be in the U.S., leading to scrutiny of immigrant drivers. The Sikh Coalition argued that drivers were being unfairly targeted, as both drivers involved in the crashes were Sikhs, leading to harassment. Immigrants comprise approximately 20% of truck drivers, with non-domiciled licences accounting for about 5% of all commercial driver’s licences. Munmeeth Kaur of the Sikh Coalition stated the delay is a crucial step in protecting the livelihoods of affected drivers.
(Source：The Tribune India)