Transportation Secretary Duffy threatens New York, calls it the ‘worst offender’
Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday threatened to withhold tens of millions in federal taxpayer highway funds for New York and other blue states that issue commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to illegal immigrants.
Duffy said in a Wednesday press conference that among blue states allowing foreign nationals to receive CDLs, including California, New York is the “worst offender,” according to a nationwide audit his department conducted. The transportation secretary had announced on Sept. 26 that the DOT would be cracking down on non-domiciled CDLs, which states issue to non-citizens.
“We will pull every dollar possible from every single state that’s unwilling to work with this administration and these longstanding rules to make sure that when American family gets in a car, they shouldn’t be worried that they have an unqualified foreigner operating an 80,000 pound big rig that could endanger their lives … or an unqualified driver operating a motor coach,” Duffy said at the press conference.
“[Fifty-three percent] of New York’s non-domiciled CDLs were issued unlawfully or illegally,” Duffy added. “Now, what New York does is, if an applicant comes in and they have a work authorization for 30 days, 60 days, one year, New York automatically issues them an eight-year commercial driver’s license, that’s contrary to the law.
