Thousands of immigrant truckers lose commercial licenses in Trump administration crackdown

[0:00] In March, some 200,000 immigrants began losing their commercial driver's licenses, [0:06] which are required to operate large vehicles like semi-trucks, buses and tractor trailers. [0:11] It's part of a series of moves by the Trump administration to limit who can drive those [0:15] vehicles after some high-profile crashes involving foreign-born drivers. [0:20] Lisa Desjardins is back now with the story. [0:22] LISA DESJARDINS, The backbone of America, everybody needs their goods. [0:27] For over a decade, come rain or shine, Minor Solaris of Portland, Oregon drove a semi-truck [0:32] across the Western U.S. But, suddenly, he has to end that career, and with it, [0:38] the main source of income for his family of five. [0:41] When I first heard of it, my heart started racing. [0:45] You know, I feared for the worst. As soon as I heard it, I was like, hey, [0:50] I'm going to lose my license. I'm not going to be able to renew. [0:53] LISA DESJARDINS In March, a Trump administration [0:56] rule took effect barring some groups of immigrants with temporary status, [1:00] including DACA recipients like Solaris, from getting or renewing their commercial driver's [1:05] licenses. Citing a handful of fatal crashes involving immigrant truckers, the rule also [1:11] applies to refugees and asylum seekers. Solaris was brought to the U.S. illegally from Guatemala [1:17] when he was two years old. At 14, he enrolled in DACA, which allowed him to legally work in the U.S., [1:23] ultimately owning his own trucks. I love the job. [1:26] LISA DESJARDINS He's driven for 12 years, but late last month, [1:30] his license expired. And due to the new rule, he can't renew it. [1:34] They use the word safety. You're using it as a disguise. I believe your intentions are different, [1:41] and safety could be one of them, but you're using that more of a playing card more than reality of [1:48] what you're really trying to do. I think they're trying to push their immigration agenda into the [1:51] trucking industry. [1:52] LISA DESJARDINS In the final rule, the Trump administration [1:55] cited 17 fatal trucking accidents in 2025, it says were likely caused by non-citizen truck drivers. [2:03] But that is less than one percent of the fatal crashes caused by truckers each year. [2:08] That one group of cases, though, have become major headlines. [2:12] Three people were killed when a semi-truck driven by an illegal immigrant plowed into traffic. [2:17] LISA DESJARDINS We do have new details after an undocumented [2:19] migrant truck driver was charged with causing a crash. [2:22] AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCK DRIVER SUSPECTED IN A CRASH. [2:25] WE HAVE PEOPLE ON THE ROADS THAT AREN'T SAFE, THAT AREN'T QUALIFIED, [2:28] THAT SHOULD NEVER HAVE A DRIVER'S LICENSE. [2:30] LISA DESJARDINS But the drivers losing their licenses [2:32] have met current requirements for qualification. This is part of a broader effort to limit who can drive [2:39] trucks in the U.S. [2:40] LISA DESJARDINS Trump ordered more penalties for truck drivers who aren't English proficient, [2:44] even though that is already a requirement. And during the State of the Union, [2:48] Trump urged Congress to pass a road safety law going further, immediately revoking all trucking [2:54] licenses from most drivers with temporary status, a law named after a little girl. [2:59] DELILAH COLEMAN WAS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD IN JUNE 2024 WHEN A 18-Wheel tractor trailer plowed into her [3:09] stopped car traveling at 60 miles an hour or more. The driver was an illegal alien. [3:16] LISA DESJARDINS In the balcony, [3:17] DELILAH SMILED IN THE ARMS OF HER DAD. She's relearning how to walk. And after seeing his daughter [3:22] nearly die from the crash, Marcus Coleman is on a mission. [3:26] DELILAH COLEMAN, It's taken a toll on us in every which way possible. [3:31] LISA DESJARDINS Coleman is pushing for a number of changes on the highways, [3:34] including the blocking of some immigrants from driving trucks. [3:38] There is no evidence that immigration status directly connects to driver safety. [3:43] But Coleman says the statistics don't show the impact on people like him and Delilah. [3:47] DELILAH COLEMAN, I think 17 accidents, even if it's out of, you know, 100,000, [3:52] is 17 too many. I see the significance in the number. [3:54] DELILAH COLEMAN, Every single person who's been impacted by this, [3:56] we see the significance. We are that small number. And there's become, [4:00] there's starting to become enough of us. [4:01] DELILAH COLEMAN, Every crash resulting in fatality [4:05] or serious injury is a tragedy. [4:08] LISA DESJARDINS WENDY LUE IS AN ATTORNEY AT PUBLIC CITIZEN LITIGATION GROUP [4:11] and is leading a lawsuit against the Department of Transportation rule, [4:15] saying it is harmful, not helpful. [4:17] DELILAH COLEMAN, There is no data to support the notion that immigrant status [4:22] has anything to do with whether somebody is a safer driver. [4:26] DELILAH COLEMAN, Requirements to get these licenses are extensive. [4:30] If the issue is that states are improperly issuing licenses to people who don't meet [4:36] those requirements, then the right response is to tighten the administrative steps to make [4:42] sure that licenses are not going to people who don't meet the requirements. [4:45] DELILAH COLEMAN, It's not to impose this blanket wholesale exclusion on documented immigrants. [4:51] DELILAH COLEMAN, In other words, [4:53] the White House should look at issues in the overall system. [4:56] Even supporters of this rule see that, like Louis Pugh with the owner-operator [5:00] Independent Drivers Association, a group of truck drivers and small trucking companies. [5:05] He is concerned about recent immigrants. [5:07] LOUIS PUGH, We don't have any history on what these folks' driving ability is. [5:11] DELILAH COLEMAN, And likes this new rule for that reason. [5:14] DELILAH COLEMAN, But he says this does not address a far larger problem, [5:18] trucker training and so-called license mills that approve new drivers easily. [5:23] DELILAH COLEMAN, In the state of Missouri, [5:24] it takes over 1,600 hours of training to be a barber, but yet to drive a truck. [5:31] I mean, it's a matter of you got to pass a test and drive around some cones and you're a truck driver. [5:36] I don't know anybody dies from a bad haircut, but lots of people can die from an ill-trained, [5:41] bad truck driver. [5:43] DELILAH COLEMAN, So that's why we need to make sure these people are trained correctly, [5:47] understand the rules of the road, and that's what we need to be working toward. [5:51] DELILAH COLEMAN, Improving safety on our nation's roadways. [5:54] DELILAH COLEMAN, There are clear federal standards for training commercial drivers. [5:58] But late last year, the government found more than 40 percent of all trucking schools [6:03] may not be following the federal regulations. [6:06] DELILAH COLEMAN, This rule that lumps people into buckets [6:11] based on where they're born or what their immigration status is, [6:14] isn't really getting to the root of the cause. [6:16] DELILAH COLEMAN, Bill Jones is a divisional vice [6:18] president at the waste and recycling collection company WastePro. And this rule threatens the [6:24] workforce his company has spent years and dollars to train right. [6:27] DELILAH COLEMAN, I think, long term, the biggest concern is that this rule reduces the available [6:34] pool of talented and safe drivers in an already difficult work environment. [6:42] And, allegedly, it is focused on safety. But, you know, I have got people that have [6:45] driven free for 15, 20 years, been safe, won all sorts of safety awards with the company, [6:49] and suddenly they can't drive. So I'm not sure it's really safety. [6:52] DELILAH COLEMAN, In California, Delilah Coleman faces lifelong therapy. [6:56] Marcus Coleman understands the politics here. And banning DACA recipients gives him pause. [7:02] But he won't risk political momentum by separating them out. [7:05] DELILAH COLEMAN, I feel bad for their situation. I honestly do. [7:08] I don't want Delilah's law to go against DACA. You know, at the same time, [7:14] I can't include DACA in Delilah's law. You know, it would misrepresent what it is that it's going for. [7:21] DELILAH COLEMAN, Back in Portland, Oregon, all this has left DACA recipient [7:24] Solaris in a mechanics job that pays less than a third of what he made driving trucks, [7:29] not enough to cover the bills. [7:31] DELILAH COLEMAN, I think just putting everybody, [7:33] generalizing everybody that's not a United States citizen isn't the right move. [7:37] I'm American, you could say, at heart. And in my mind, that's all I have known in the United States. [7:41] Paperwork, immigration status is the only thing that's making me [7:44] look different than everybody else here. [7:46] DELILAH COLEMAN, And just that status, [7:48] not his driving record, means he is one longtime safe driver being forced off the road. [7:55] For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Lisa Desjardins. [7:58] Support journalism you trust. Support PBS News. [8:12] Donate now, or even better, start a monthly contribution today.