Media Contacts:
Asian Law Caucus, media@asianlawcaucus.org
Sikh Coalition, media@sikhcoalition.org
Civil Rights Organizations, Affected Communities Applaud Ruling in Favor of Immigrant Truckers’ Rights
Drivers allowed to re-apply for licenses, risk losing income as they await CA-DMV process
OAKLAND, Calif. — Yesterday, the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, ordered the California Department of Motor Vehicles (CA-DMV) to allow 20,000 immigrant truckers to re-apply for commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and to reissue those CDLs within a reasonable time. The court’s decision does not provide a precise timeline for CA-DMV to issue corrected CDLs, and unless CA-DMV moves quickly, these drivers will lose their ability to do their jobs on March 6. After Friday, drivers with a cancelled CDL stand to lose not only some or all of their income but also potentially their occupation if the state does not create a more permanent solution.
The decision comes in response to a December 2025 class-action lawsuit brought by the Sikh Coalition, Asian Law Caucus, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP on the behalf of a class of commercial drivers and the Jakara Movement. The pool of affected drivers in this case includes truckers, transit drivers, and municipal workers. Their immigration statuses include DACA recipients, Temporary Protected Status holders, asylum seekers, and others who have met federal and state requirements in order to operate commercial vehicles.
The following statements are reactions from the team working on this important case:
Munmeeth Kaur, Sikh Coalition Legal Director, said: “The court’s ruling is a critical step towards economic security for immigrant drivers whose lives have been upended by the erratic policy changes of the last several months. It also reaffirms a larger point: that even in the face of federal pressure, state agencies cannot violate their statutory requirements to serve their constituents. Once the California DMV sends out the ordered notices and implements this new process, both immigrant communities and California as a whole will benefit from having these capable drivers on the road and keeping our economy moving.”
Katherine Zhao, Senior Staff Attorney at Asian Law Caucus, said: “This decision makes clear that California must fix its own error and create a process for commercial drivers to keep their licenses and livelihoods. Still, drivers are unfairly burdened and unable to fully provide for their families as they wait for the state to outline how they may re-apply, process applications, and re-issue their licenses. Proceeding with license cancellations will punish tens of thousands of drivers who provide essential services in freight transportation, passenger transit, and municipal public works. The state must quickly find a permanent solution that doesn’t leave our drivers—and our economy—paying the price when they did everything right.”
Deep Singh, Executive Director at Jakara Movement, said: “We are encouraged with the court’s decision today and grateful that the judge recognized the urgent harm drivers are facing. At the same time, we are disappointed that the DMV has not been required to provide immediate relief. The March 6 deadline puts tens of thousands of drivers in an incredibly difficult position, forcing them to navigate uncertainty and potential loss of driving privileges while the state works out a process to reissue licenses without a hard timeline. We strongly urge the DMV to automatically correct these licenses without requiring impacted drivers to reapply, repay fees, or jump through additional bureaucratic hurdles. The onus falls on the state to correct its own errors in order to prevent further harm to our immigrant communities.”
About the organizations
For nearly 25 years, the Sikh Coalition has fought to defend and expand Sikh civil rights in the United States. For more information about this lawsuit, the Sikh community’s impact on the U.S. trucking industry, or the Sikh Coalition’s additional work to fight for truckers’ rights, email media@sikhcoalition.org.
Asian Law Caucus (ALC) was founded in 1972 as the nation's first legal and civil rights organization focusing on the needs of low-income, immigrant and underserved Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Recognizing that social, economic, political, and racial inequalities continue to exist in the United States, ALC is committed to the pursuit of equality and justice for all sectors of our society. www.asianlawcaucus.org
The Jakara Movement is a grassroots community-building organization working to empower, educate, and organize working-class Punjabi Sikhs, and other marginalized communities; to advance their health, education, and arts/cultural, economic, social, and community power. We strive to create a Gurmat-inspired community, rooted in the struggle of our foremothers and forefathers, committed to gender equality and caste abolitionism to develop powerful, informed, and organized youth leadership, locally-rooted residential power, and community capacity that will be a key partner in building a better future for all.
Founded in 1931, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP has been a preeminent provider of legal services for more than 90 years. With approximately 1,200 lawyers in offices on three continents, Weil has been a pioneer in the marketplace and a first-mover in the establishment of many significant practice areas. The Firm’s four departments, Corporate, Litigation, Restructuring, and Tax, Executive Compensation & Benefits, and more than two dozen practice groups are consistently recognized as leaders in their respective fields.