New rule on CDL threatens thousands of asylum seekers' jobs in the US

Controversial Rule on Commercial Driver’s Licenses Affects Thousands of Immigrant Workers

WASHINGTON— A coalition consisting of the Public Citizen Litigation Group, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has taken legal action to contest a rule potentially impacting the employment of nearly 200,000 individuals. The rule, enacted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) under the U.S. Department of Transportation on September 29, 2025, prohibits asylum seekers, refugees, and DACA recipients with work authorization from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses due to their immigration status. These licenses are critical for professions such as truck, bus, and delivery driving.

The legal case, Rivera Lujan v. FMSCA, was initiated on behalf of individuals including Jorge Rivera Lujan and Aleksei Semenovskii, alongside AFSCME and the AFT. It challenges both the rule’s content and the FMCSA’s procedural oversight in bypassing mandated rulemaking processes.

“This unlawful rule seems intended to put people authorized to work in the United States out of work, solely because of the prejudices of the Trump administration,” stated Wendy Liu, attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group. “We are asking the court to promptly invalidate the rule to prevent devastating consequences for our clients and the hundreds of thousands of people across the country who depend on commercial driver’s licenses for their livelihoods.”

Implemented without the customary notice and comment period, the rule is immediately effective. Jorge Rivera Lujan, a DACA recipient and veteran truck driver, encountered this policy firsthand when he attempted to renew his license on September 30, only to be denied due to the new regulation.

“Without a commercial driver’s license, I will lose my business and the income that allows me to provide for my family,” expressed Mr. Rivera Lujan, who has resided in the United States since he was two years old. “I have followed all the rules and complied with all requirements set by the government.”

Mr. Semenovskii, an asylum seeker from Russia with over five years of trucking experience, remarked, “Driving a truck is how I support my family. I’ve endured tremendous hardship but have fought to rebuild my life through trucking. For me and so many others, this rule will be a tragedy, destroying years of sacrifice and honest work.”

“The administration’s new rule prevents immigrants who are lawfully present in the country and authorized to work from supporting themselves and their families,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “It also disrupts essential services communities rely on. Drivers who take our children to school, deliver food and medicine, and clean trash off the streets must have these commercial driver’s licenses, and denying them inflicts unnecessary pain on everyone their lives touch.”

“For the Trump administration, the cruelty is the point,” stated AFT President Randi Weingarten. “This is a spiteful and illegal rule issued with no justification except to hurt hundreds of thousands of lawful immigrants with work authorization who only want to build a better life for themselves and their families. Many AFT members require a CDL to work as school bus drivers—and right now we are seeing people turned away from training for these positions. Their American Dream will be dashed or deferred, all because of the pettiness of the president and his advisers.”

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The AFT represents 1.8 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.

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