California will revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants after discovering the licenses were valid beyond the drivers’ legal authorization to remain in the United States, state officials announced Wednesday.

The decision comes amid intense scrutiny from the federal government and follows several high-profile accidents involving commercial drivers not authorized to be in the country. In August, a tractor-trailer driver lacking proper immigration status made an illegal U-turn in Florida, causing a crash that killed three people.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has been vocal in his criticism of California’s licensing practices, characterized the state’s action as an admission of wrongdoing.

“After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed,” Duffy said in a statement. “This is just the tip of iceberg. My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses.”

Governor Newsom’s office countered that all affected drivers had valid work authorizations from the federal government at the time their licenses were issued. Officials later clarified that the revocations stem from violations of a state law requiring commercial licenses to expire on or before the end of a driver’s legal status in the United States.

Brandon Richards, Newsom’s spokesperson, dismissed Duffy’s claims, saying the Transportation Secretary was “spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his dear leader.”

The controversy has intensified following other fatal crashes involving commercial drivers with questionable immigration status. Recent incidents in Texas, Alabama, and California have only heightened concerns about licensing standards and oversight.

In September, Duffy announced new federal restrictions on which immigrants can qualify for commercial driver’s licenses. Under these guidelines, only holders of specific visas – H-2a (temporary agricultural workers), H-2b (temporary nonagricultural workers), and E-2 (investors in U.S. businesses) – will be eligible. These new rules would allow only about 10,000 of the estimated 200,000 noncitizen commercial license holders nationwide to qualify.

The Transportation Department is also mandating that states verify an applicant’s immigration status through federal databases, and licenses will be valid for only up to one year unless the driver’s visa expires sooner.

These stricter federal standards weren’t in place when California issued the 17,000 licenses now being revoked. Affected drivers have been notified their licenses will expire in 60 days.

The dispute has financial implications as well. Duffy has already revoked $40 million in federal funding from California, citing the state’s failure to enforce English language requirements for commercial drivers. He has threatened to withhold an additional $160 million if California doesn’t address all compliance concerns, including invalidating every improperly issued license.

California officials maintain they followed guidance received from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding the issuance of commercial licenses to noncitizens. The state’s actions to revoke the licenses appear to be part of an effort to comply with federal demands and avoid further penalties.

California is not alone in facing scrutiny. Duffy has claimed five other states improperly issued commercial driver’s licenses to noncitizens, though California is the only state against which the Transportation Department has taken action so far. Reviews in other states have reportedly been delayed by the government shutdown.

The controversy underscores the complex intersection of immigration policy, transportation safety, and state versus federal authority – issues likely to remain contentious as implementation of the new licensing standards continues.