Washington, D.C. — A broad coalition of local governments and local government leaders from across the country filed a friend-of-the-court brief today urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to halt a Trump-Vance administration rule that would revoke or deny commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) held by asylum seekers, refugees, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. Democracy Forward, Public Rights Project, and Kaplan Kirsch LLP collectively represent the coalition in filing the brief.
The brief was filed in Jorge Rivera Lujan et al. v. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration et al., a lawsuit challenging the administration’s rule issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) restricting access to CDLs for certain noncitizens. The coalition warns that the rule would dramatically shrink the nation’s commercial driver workforce, disrupting essential public services and harming communities across the country.
Local governments depend on licensed commercial drivers to operate public buses and provide school transportation, clear roads during winter storms, maintain infrastructure, respond to natural disasters, and deliver essential utilities. The rule could push nearly 200,000 experienced commercial drivers out of the workforce, worsening existing shortages and forcing local governments to scale back critical services.
The coalition filing the brief includes the City of Albany, New York; the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts; Montgomery County, Maryland; the City of New York, New York; the City and County of San Francisco, California; and local government leaders from across the country, which include Celina Benitez, Mayor, City of Mount Rainier, Maryland; Jesse Brown, Councilmember, City of Indianapolis, Indiana; Chelsea Byers, Mayor, City of West Hollywood, California; Chris Canales, Councilmember, City of El Paso, Texas; Michael Chameides, Supervisor, County of Columbia, New York; John Clark, Mayor, Town of Ridgway, Colorado; Alison Coombs, Mayor Pro Tempore and Councilmember, City of Aurora, Colorado; Christine Corrado; Councilmember, Township of Brighton, New York; Nikki Fortunato Bas, Supervisor, Alameda County, California; Brenda Gadd, Councilmember, Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee; Caroline Torosis; Mayor Pro Tempore, City of Santa Monica, California; Terry Vo, Councilmember, Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee; Ginny Welsch, Councilmember, Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee; Robin Wilt, Councilmember, Township of Brighton, New York.
The brief explains that the administration’s rule does not advance road safety. Instead, it would make communities less safe by removing experienced drivers from the workforce, increasing strain on remaining drivers, and leaving local governments without the personnel needed to keep roads clear, maintain infrastructure, and respond to emergencies.
“This rule threatens to sideline thousands of experienced drivers without evidence that it improves safety. Local governments rely on licensed commercial drivers to keep communities running, from transporting students to school to clearing roads during storms and responding to disasters. As our clients make clear, the administration’s rule will make communities less safe and disrupt essential services that millions of people rely on every day,” said Elena Goldstein, Legal Director at Democracy Forward.
“Public Rights Project works with local governments across the country that rely on commercial drivers to keep communities moving — from school buses to snowplows to public transit. This coalition came together because we know what’s at stake: when driver shortages worsen, real people lose access to services they depend on every day. These local governments are urging the court to block this rule and protect our communities,” said Jonathan Miller, Chief Program Officer at the Public Rights Project.
This case comes after a prior decision from the D.C. Circuit blocking an earlier version of the administration’s rule while litigation proceeds. The coalition argues that the public interest strongly favors halting the rule again, warning that its implementation would worsen workforce shortages and undermine critical public services nationwide.
Read the filing here.
