Most of New York’s Non-Domiciled Trucking Licenses Are Issued Illegally
Another blue state is putting lives at risk by issuing licenses to illegal alien drivers
A recent federal audit of commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued to non-U.S. residents found New York has been irresponsibly issuing CDLs to illegal alien drivers. President Donald Trump’s administration is cracking down on this dangerous practice, but ending the frequent highway fatalities these drivers cause will require a long-term viewpoint shift in blue states.
As Restoration News previously reported, foreign truck drivers are killing motorists at a breakneck pace this year. Recently, an Indian national was charged with killing a newlywed couple in Oregon right before Thanksgiving. On Dec. 11, another Indian national—in the country illegally, thanks to Democrats’ catch-and-release policy—was charged with vehicular homicide for allegedly killing a 29-year-old husband and father in Washington state.
DEVELOPING: The truck driver in WA who crushed a car killing a husband & father is an illegal alien who was caught & released by the Biden admin.
— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) December 14, 2025
On Thurs he was arrested for vehicular homicide & an ICE detainer was filed, but Bob Ferguson's sanctuary policies released him pic.twitter.com/4fufA8e23d
The New York review, conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, examined a sample of 200 permits the state issued and found more than half, specifically 107, were in violation of federal rules.
‘Dereliction of Duty’
The problem, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, stems from New York's Department of Motor Vehicles automatically issuing eight-year licenses without properly checking when drivers’ legal status in the country will end. This meant some drivers could hold valid CDLs long after their authorization to stay in the United States had expired. In many cases, officials issued permits using outdated immigration documents or failed to verify lawful presence at all.
Transportation Department officials say the findings evidence a breakdown in oversight, potentially putting unqualified operators behind the wheel. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is demanding swift action.
“When more than half of the licenses reviewed were issued illegally, it isn’t just a mistake—it is a dereliction of duty by state leadership,” he said on Dec. 12. “Gov. Hochul must immediately revoke these illegally issued licenses. If they refuse to follow the law, we will withhold federal highway funding.”
The department gave New York 30 days to fix the issue, demanding that the state stop issuing new illegal licenses, conduct a full internal audit to identify all existing improper licenses, and revoke all that don't comply. If the state refuses, the federal government will withhold around $73 million in highway funds, with risks of further penalties, including possible decertification of the state’s entire CDL program.
(RELATED: The Best Way to Punish Perverse Beltway Counties Isn’t Through School Funding—It’s the Roads)
This Is Bigger Than CDLs
Liberals’ view of America causes the problem of inexperienced, foreign semi-truck drivers, many of whom can’t communicate in English. As moderate, patriotic Democrats have become an endangered species, radical leftists have taken control of blue states. Americans concerned about the danger posed by these drivers should primarily blame those extremists.
Many liberals do not view the United States as a real country with a native nationality. They see it as a land of opportunity for the entire world—a global economic opportunity zone. To deny foreign nationals the right to live here seems unfair to those who view themselves as the main characters in their own superhero sagas.
Whether they’re rioting against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers or working with local officials to provide sanctuary to illegal aliens, these leftists cosplay as resistance fighters battling what they see as an evil, colonizing empire. They are willfully blind to the actual harm their sanctuary policies cause because recognizing it would shatter the illusion and, with it, their fragile worldview.
For instance, on Dec. 11, Washington state ignored a federal detainer and released an illegal alien with a criminal history—including multiple DUIs—after he allegedly crashed his semi-truck into another vehicle, causing a six-car pileup that included a school bus. The suspect was also driving the truck without a license, for which he had previously been arrested. The incident hospitalized three people.
New York will likely comply with Duffy’s demands to keep its highway dollars. The state may even temporarily raise its standards for issuing new non-domiciled CDLs—until another Democrat wins the White House. At that point, New York and other blue states will likely turn a blind eye to the licensing of illegal aliens once again.
Duffy is nonetheless right to tighten the screws on those improperly issuing CDLs. Withholding transportation funding is the best way to compel compliance on this issue, but the problem is deeper than DMV negligence.
Patriots must shine a light on the perverted globalist view that everyone should be welcome to live and work in the United States. This viewpoint leads to deadly outcomes that, unless addressed, will only continue to mount.
(READ MORE: California is Licensing the Illegal Alien Truck Drivers Killing Americans. Sean Duffy is Fighting Back)
