U.S. Representative Young Kim has sent a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom, seeking explanations for the improper issuance of tens of thousands of commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) to foreign nationals who overstayed their visas. According to Rep. Kim, these actions violate federal law and put public safety at risk.
The Department of Transportation announced on November 12, 2025, that California had issued 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs and CLPs to foreign drivers who were not legally eligible. This announcement followed a fatal crash in Florida involving an illegal immigrant with a California-issued CDL who had failed English and road-sign tests.
Rep. Kim stated: “For too long, Sacramento has warmly welcomed lawlessness, fraud, and abuse into our homes. This isn’t just a clerical error — American lives have been lost,” said Rep Young Kim. “Clearly, Gavin Newsom has been more concerned with preening himself for a presidential run than fixing failures in his own backyard. I’m holding his feet to the fire for answers on how thousands of unlawful CDL issuances slipped through his administration unchecked. Californians deserve better than this negligence.”
In her letter, Rep. Kim urges Governor Newsom to explain what corrective actions will be taken and calls for compliance with federal guidelines as well as revocation of all illegally issued licenses.
Young Kim currently represents California’s 40th district in the U.S. Congress after replacing Gil Cisneros in 2021 and previously served in the California State Assembly from 2014 to 2016. She was born in Incheon, South Korea in 1962 and now resides in La Habra. Kim graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1985.
