California has announced it will delay the revocation of commercial driver’s licenses held by thousands of immigrants in the state. This decision comes after federal pressure to cancel these licenses following a series of fatal accidents involving foreign drivers, drawing immediate criticism from the federal government.

The postponement of the license cancellations to March aims to provide California officials additional time to address federal concerns, according to the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. This decision impacts around 17,000 noncitizens.

The Trump administration, along with U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, had initially set a deadline of January 5, cautioning that missing it could result in a loss of $160 million in federal funding for California. Additionally, state authorities are contending with a class-action lawsuit from immigration advocates, who claim that the crackdown disproportionately targets immigrant truck and bus drivers.

During a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee held in the Rayburn House Office Building on May 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C., Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy provided testimony. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

In response, Governor Newsom criticized Duffy in a tweet, accusing him of “federal mismanagement.”

“YOUR staff told CA DMV they were open to an extension 8 days ago. In fact, FMCSA agreed an extension made logistical sense and was reasonable (in a meeting on Dec. 18),” he wrote. “DMV relied on that guidance and acted accordingly.”

Separately, the Asian Law Caucus and the Sikh Coalition, along with the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, filed the lawsuit last week, arguing the cancellations would “result in mass work stoppages” immediately upon the deadline.

Impacted drivers get another 60 days before the cancellations take effect, according to the DMV.

Duffy sharply criticized the move on X.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a rally on Nov. 8, 2025, in Houston, Texas. He received a warning from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy about his state’s looming delay of a plan to cancel more than 17,000 CDLs issued to noncitizen drivers. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

“California does NOT have an ‘extension’ to keep breaking the law and putting Americans at risk on the roads,” Duffy wrote earlier this week. “Miss the deadline, [Gov. Gavin Newsom], and the @USDOT will act — including cutting nearly $160 million in federal funding.”

Separately, he has announced $118 million in grants for states to crack down on “unqualified, unvetted drivers.”

The dispute comes after a series of deadly crashes around the country involving illegal immigrant drivers behind the wheel.

Harjinder Singh, 28, was arrested after allegedly attempting an unauthorized U-turn in Florida in August that resulted in a crash that left three people dead, officials said. (St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office)

In one case, a purported illegal immigrant from India named Harjinder Singh allegedly killed three people after attempting an illegal U-turn in Florida on Aug. 12. His CDL had been issued on the other side of the country — in California.

Singh allegedly failed to recognize three out of four highway traffic signs and answered just two questions out of 12 correctly in an English proficiency assessment delivered by transportation officials, Fox News Digital reported previously.

California leaders, for their part, have said they intend to improve vetting and security measures while continuing to issue CDLs to noncitizens.

Bodycam still shows Harjinder Singh holding paperwork as a New Mexico State Police officer issues him a speeding ticket during a July 3 traffic stop, weeks before the deadly Florida crash. (New Mexico State Police)

“We are hopeful that our collaboration with the federal government will give [Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration] confidence in our updated processes to allow California to promptly resume issuance of nondomiciled commercial driver’s licenses,” California’s DMV Director Steve Gordon said in a statement.

Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office for comment.