Trump Transportation Department Orders New York To Revoke 33,000 Questionable Immigrant Truck Licenses

New York is set to lose more than $73.5 million in federal money after the U.S. Transportation Department said the state refused to revoke nearly 33,000 questionable commercial driver’s licenses for immigrants, according to an Associated Press report.

“New York loses nearly $74 million for not revoking 33,000 illegal licenses for immigrant truckers New York loses nearly $74 million for not revoking 33,000 illegal licenses for immigrant truckers New York will lose more than $73”

Associated Press

The Transportation Department said Thursday that state officials would be ordered to review all of this type of licenses and revoke illegal ones after an audit uncovered problems last year.

Associated Press

The AP said the department found that “more than half of the 200 licenses reviewed during the audit had significant problems such as remaining valid long after an immigrant was authorized to be in the country.”

The AP also reported that the federal government has reviewed records related to these non-domiciled CDLs in every state since Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy put a spotlight on the issue after an August crash in Florida that killed three people.

The AP further said New York issued 32,606 of the non-domiciled licenses, and that “New rules the Transportation Department has announced will prevent 97% of those foreign drivers from getting a commercial license again.”

Newsweek reported the same funding figure as “$73.5 million in federal funding would be pulled over illegal immigrants with commercial driver's licenses,” and said Hochul vowed to “fight the Trump administration again on Thursday.”

The New York Post added that the Trump administration was “yanking $74 million in federal highway grants” from the state and said the DOT warned Hochul’s Department of Motor Vehicles could face another $147 million in withheld grants.

The dispute centers on a Transportation Department audit that, the Associated Press said, reviewed “200 licenses” and identified “significant problems” including licenses that “remain[ed] valid long after an immigrant was authorized to be in the country.”

The AP said the federal government reviewed records related to “these non-domiciled CDLs in every state” after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy put a spotlight on the issue following an August crash in Florida that killed three people.

New York Post

The AP also reported that most states have either complied or are in negotiations with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, while California has lost $200 million and other states including Pennsylvania, Minnesota and North Carolina have been warned they are at risk of losing some funding.

Newsweek said Duffy announced a review in June 2025 described as a “nationwide audit of states issuing commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) to immigrants without legal status,” and it said the review was tied to concerns that immigrant truckers were not qualified enough to drive in the U.S., including “a lack of English proficiency.”

Newsweek added that “Out of 200 sampled records in New York, the FMCSA found that 107 were issued in violation of federal law,” and it said New York’s DMV had defaulted to issuing “eight-year licenses regardless of immigration status.”

The New York Post described the federal action as a response to a “bombshell letter on Thursday” and said the letter asserted the New York DMV “refuses” to comply with DOT demands to assess thousands of CDLs and remove those belonging to non-residents with expired work authorizations.

Periódico El Día framed the same federal threat as a requirement that New York “must revoke commercial driver's licenses for people who are in the country without legal status,” and it said the measure would withdraw “$73 million in highway funds” within “the next 30 days” if New York did not comply.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the federal action was about holding states accountable for safety, and the Associated Press quoted him saying, “I promised the American people I would hold any state leader accountable for failing to keep them safe from unvetted, unqualified foreign drivers. I’m delivering on that promise today,” while also describing the decision as refusing to fund New York’s approach.

“New York's Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul vowed to fight the Trump administration again on Thursday, after it was announced that $73”

Newsweek

The AP reported that Duffy said immigrants account for “about 20% of all truck drivers nationwide,” but that non-domiciled licenses immigrants can receive represent “about 5% of all commercial driver’s licenses or about 200,000 drivers.”

Newsweek quoted Duffy’s statement to the public, saying, “I promised the American people I would hold any state leader accountable for failing to keep them safe from unvetted, unqualified foreign drivers,” and it added that he said he was “delivering on that promise today by refusing to fund Governor Hochul’s dangerous, anti-American policies.”

Hochul’s spokesman Sean Butler pushed back, telling Newsweek that the charges were “a baseless attempt to attack blue states,” and saying, “This continues a year long pattern of Secretary Duffy threatening to withhold money that keeps our roads, subways, and other infrastructure safe for New Yorkers. We will fight back, and once again we will win.”

The Associated Press also quoted Butler describing the action as “part of broad effort to attack blue states,” and it said the trucking industry praised the DOT’s efforts to get unqualified drivers off the road.

The AP included a quote from Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, saying, “Thes“ enf”rcement actions will remove bad actors from the road and restore accountability to the system. Today’s action is an important step toward safer highways and a stronger, more professional trucking industry.”

The New York Post added that FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said, “New York’s continued refusal to fix these failures undermines that mission, and we will not allow federal dollars to support a system that falls short of the law,” and it quoted the letter saying, “The withholding of Federal funds is the direct and necessary consequence of New York’s own actions and its demonstrated disregard for Federal safety standards.”

The Associated Press and Newsweek both describe the federal government’s decision as a funding loss tied to New York’s refusal to revoke nearly 33,000 questionable CDLs, but they emphasize different angles of the same dispute.

The AP foregrounds the audit mechanics and the scale of the licensing issue, saying the Transportation Department would order New York to “review all of this type of licenses and revoke illegal ones,” and it ties the crackdown to Duffy’s spotlight after an August Florida crash that killed three people.

Periódico El Día

Newsweek, while also citing the nearly 33,000 figure and the $73.5 million amount, frames the action through Hochul’s political response, quoting her spokesman Sean Butler saying the charges are “a baseless attempt to attack blue states” and repeating the “fight back” language.

The New York Post presents the story as a direct confrontation with what it calls “failing” to vet foreign truck drivers, and it says the Trump administration is “yanking $74 million” while warning the state could lose another $147 million.

In the Post’s account, FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs is central, with the letter asserting the DMV “refuses” to comply and with Barrs saying the withholding is “the direct and necessary consequence of New York’s own actions.”

Periódico El Día uses a different framing by focusing on the legal status of drivers and community concern, saying “Dominicans are concerned because they may be part of the figure,” and it states that “Fifty-three percent of the licenses were issued illegally.”

The Associated Press also adds a detail about how the spotlight has included Sikh truckers, saying “The spotlight has been on Sikh truckers because the driver in the Florida crash and the driver in another fatal crash in California in October are both Sikhs.”

The immediate consequence of the federal action is that New York must take corrective steps on the CDLs that the Transportation Department and FMCSA flagged, or face additional funding losses.

“New York State must revoke commercial licenses for drivers without legal status”

Periódico El Día

The Associated Press said the state was ordered to “review all of this type of licenses and revoke illegal ones,” and it described the federal government’s broader approach as reviewing records in every state since Duffy’s spotlight after the Florida crash.

Associated Press

Newsweek reported that Duffy told Fox News on Thursday afternoon that he wanted to work with New York but also threatened to pull additional funding if the state did not comply with federal requirements.

The New York Post sharpened the timeline by saying the DOT warned Hochul’s DMV that continued non-compliance could lead Washington to withhold another $147 million in highway funding grants.

Periódico El Día said the Transportation Department was threatening to withdraw $73 million “within the next 30 days” if New York did not revoke commercial licenses for people without legal status.

The Associated Press also placed the licensing fight within a wider pattern of funding leverage, noting that Duffy put a hold on $18 billion in funding for a subway extension in Manhattan and tunnels beneath the Hudson River for Amtrak and commuter rail trains, and that the Trump administration agreed Thursday to restore funding for the subway project.

With the next steps framed as compliance or further withholding, the stakes described by the outlets are both financial and operational, ranging from highway grants to subway funding decisions and the federal rules that Duffy said would prevent “97%” of those foreign drivers from getting a commercial license again.