Court Blocks Rule Preventing Immigrants from Getting CDL Licenses

In a significant legal development, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has issued an emergency stay against a controversial rule from the Trump Administration. The regulation, set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), sought to bar DACA recipients, asylum seekers, asylees, refugees, and certain other immigrants with work authorization from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses and permits. This ruling pauses the rule's enactment while the court considers its legality.

The emergency stay was requested by several parties, including Jorge Rivera Lujan, Aleksei Semenovskii, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Their motion is part of an ongoing lawsuit, Rivera Lujan v. FMSCA, where they are represented by the Public Citizen Litigation Group.

The court noted that “FMCSA does not appear to have demonstrated any safety benefit from the rule” and that the potential for causing irreparable harm justified the stay.

Wendy Liu, an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group, commented, “The Trump administration’s punitive rule threatened to put 200,000 immigrants out of work, jeopardizing their livelihoods and harming the communities that depend on their work. For drivers across the country, the court’s decision offers a glimmer of hope by giving them a chance to keep working and supporting their families and communities.”

AFSCME President Lee Saunders expressed approval of the court’s decision, emphasizing the importance of the ruling for public service workers who require commercial driver’s licenses. “We applaud the court for granting our stay and blocking the administration’s attempts to prevent AFSCME members who are legally present and authorized to work in the United States from providing the vital public services our communities rely on,” he said.

AFT President Randi Weingarten also spoke against the rule, describing it as a "cruelty and pettiness" measure from the Trump era. "As a school bus driver shortage in this country persists, the Trump administration's rule was an attack not only on the livelihoods of our members, but also on working families, who rely on these drivers to get their kids to school safely and on time. Our members are grateful for this decision allowing them to continue serving their communities," she stated.