Court Halts Trump Rule Targeting the Livelihood of Immigrants Pending Appeal
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last night, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted an emergency stay of the Trump Administration’s rule, issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), that would have prohibited DACA recipients, asylum seekers, asylees, refugees, and other immigrants with work authorization from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses and permits. The order halts the harmful anti-immigrant rule while the rule is being challenged in the appeals court.
Jorge Rivera Lujan, Aleksei Semenovskii, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) filed the emergency motion in the lawsuit Rivera Lujan v. FMSCA. Mr. Rivera Lujan, Mr. Semenovskii, AFSCME, and AFT are represented by Public Citizen Litigation Group.
The court agreed with us that “FMCSA does not appear to have demonstrated any safety benefit from the rule” and that the rule, if not stayed, would cause irreparable harm.
“The Trump administration’s punitive rule threatened to put 200,000 immigrants out of work, jeopardizing their livelihoods and harming the communities that depend on their work,” said Wendy Liu, attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group. “For drivers across the country, the court’s decision offers a glimmer of hope by giving them a chance to keep working and supporting their families and communities.”
“Many public service workers who provide essential services like keeping our streets clean and driving our children to school require commercial drivers’ licenses," said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “We applaud the court for granting our stay and blocking the administration’s attempts to prevent AFSCME members who are legally present and authorized to work in the United States from providing the vital public services our communities rely on.”
"This rule was yet another example of cruelty and pettiness from the Trump administration, targeting taxpaying and law-abiding immigrants who are in this country legally," said AFT President Randi Weingarten. "As a school bus driver shortage in this country persists, the Trump administration's rule was an attack not only on the livelihoods of our members, but also on working families, who rely on these drivers to get their kids to school safely and on time. Our members are grateful for this decision allowing them to continue serving their communities."