A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s emergency rules designed to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs), allowing many non-domiciled drivers to continue operating on U.S. roads.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued the administrative stay Monday, with two Democrat-appointed judges voting in favor and one Republican-appointed judge dissenting.
The ruling halts Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s September regulations, which required non-citizens seeking a non-domiciled CDL to undergo federal verification of immigration status and possess an employment-based visa.
Officials cited widespread state-level issuance of licenses to foreign nationals, including those with limited English proficiency, as creating serious public safety hazards on highways.
“The stay does not determine the merits of the rule; it simply allows time for further review,” the court order stated, according to The Daily Caller.
Approximately 200,000 individuals hold non-domiciled CDLs in the U.S., many operating commercial trucks without lawful immigration status.
Federal investigations highlighted multiple instances in which non-domiciled drivers, unfamiliar with road regulations and language requirements, were involved in accidents, some resulting in fatalities.
Audits by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) identified California, Texas, Colorado, South Dakota, Pennsylvania and Washington as states with the highest numbers of improperly issued non-domiciled CDLs, with California alone showing roughly 25 percent non-compliance in sampled records.
Two high-profile crashes drew national attention and prompted federal action.
In Florida, an Indian national illegally in the U.S. allegedly made a U-turn on a turnpike, causing a collision that killed three people.
In California, another illegal immigrant driver reportedly struck multiple vehicles on a highway, also resulting in three fatalities.
Opposition to the rules has come from labor unions and Democratic-aligned organizations.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called the regulations “spiteful and illegal,” claiming they unfairly targeted immigrants who have valid work authorization.
Legal challenges filed in October argued that the Trump administration did not follow proper rule-making procedures.
Prior to the ruling, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety arrested 70 foreign nationals driving illegally during a two-day operation dubbed “Operation Guardian.”
According to Just the News, the detainees came from 15 countries. Thirty-six prior violent crime convictions, and 34 violated state or federal commercial vehicle laws.
Only 26 held CDLs, many issued in Democratic-led states including California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York.
Secretary Duffy emphasized that the rules were intended to reduce highway dangers posed by non-domiciled drivers, particularly those unfamiliar with traffic laws or unable to communicate effectively in English.
With the D.C. Circuit’s stay in place, officials warn that these risks remain unmitigated.
The Trump administration has pledged to pursue all legal avenues to reinstate enforcement, arguing that strict oversight of commercial driving privileges is essential to protect public safety.
Courts will ultimately determine whether federal safeguards for non-domiciled CDL holders remain enforceable and how these drivers are regulated nationwide.
As litigation continues, federal and state authorities maintain monitoring programs for unsafe drivers while assessing compliance with commercial licensing requirements.
The case underscores the intersection of immigration enforcement and highway safety, with implications for both public security and regulatory oversight in the trucking industry.
