Illinois is the latest sanctuary state to come under fire for issuing illegal licenses to foreign truckers and failing to comply with federal regulations, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation review.
An estimated 20% of commercial driver’s licenses issued to non‑citizen drivers in Illinois were issued illegally. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the findings last week based on a recent review by the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Illinois has 30 days to fix the issues and revoke the illegally issued licenses. If state officials don’t comply, they risk losing $128 million in federal highway funding.
“I need our state partners to understand that they work for the American people, not illegal immigrants who broke the law illegally entering our country and continue to break it by operating massive big rigs without the proper qualifications,” Duffy said in response to the findings.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is facing added scrutiny for reportedly receiving more than $300,000 in donations from the trucking industry in recent years. His agency is responsible for issuing nondomiciled CDLs through the Director of Driver Services, Just The News reported.
The Illinois review is part of a nationwide audit examining non-domiciled CDLs, following a series of fatal crashes involving semi-trucks driven by foreign drivers who were issued CDLs in Democrat-run states.
High-profile crashes have occurred across the country, including one linked to a Serbia national, Borko Stankovic of Lyons, Ill. He was involved in a traffic fatality in October 2025 in northwest Indiana.
Stankovic, who had overstayed his visa, was driving a semi when he crossed into oncoming traffic and killed 54‑year‑old Jeffrey Eberly. Immigration officials said Stankovic had a suspended Illinois CDL belonging to a family member but did not have a valid CDL himself.
The audits have “uncovered glaring compliance failures” in several states, including California, New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Colorado. Duffy has threatened to pull or withhold federal highway funding awarded to states that don’t fix the issues and comply with new rules.
DOT officials sent a letter to Gov. JB Pritzker announcing the audit’s findings and several policy and procedural errors in Illinois’ issuance of non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) and CDLs.
Based on a sample of CDLs reviewed, the FMCSA found multiple instances in which CDL holders’ legal presence in the United States had expired, or where Illinois failed to verify lawful presence altogether, FOX 2 Now reported.
As a result, the DOT has demanded the state immediately pause issuance of new non-domiciled CDLs, revoke or reissue all noncompliant CDLs, and conduct a full internal audit of its licensing process.
Spurred on by Pritzker, many Illinois progressives have pandered to immigrants for votes and done everything in their power to derail President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Giannoulias, a Democrat, is reportedly considering a run for Chicago mayor. So, it’s no surprise he is pushing back on the CDL review.
His office issued a response to the DOT audit, saying “Illinois is condemning the Trump administration’s assertions regarding the state’s past handling of non-domiciled commercial driver licenses.”
The Secretary of State Office maintains Illinois has followed federal CDL rules and paused non‑domiciled CDL issuance last year after FMCSA changed federal standards. State officials said they will review the audit but maintain their practices “do not justify cutting federal highway funding.”
Just The News reported that Giannoulias received more than $300,000 in donations from the state’s trucking and logistics industries between 2021 and 2025, according to state campaign finance records.
The outlet identified donors in this time period that are associated with transportation companies, semi-truck vendors, and truck driving schools and compiled their donations.
Giannoulias’ agency also failed to halt issuing CDLs to illegal, non-domiciled individuals during those same years, per the DOT audit, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
Meanwhile, Giannoulias has defended the state’s trucking and logistics industries. The stricter federal oversight and added rules for CDLs are placing undue demands on its truckers, farmers and transportation sector, he said.
“A strong economy depends on strong logistics,” Giannoulias said in a statement. “If trucks don’t move, supply chains fail, prices rise, and families feel it in their pocketbooks. We can see the actions by the Trump administration taking their toll on our truckers and our farmers, both of whom are essential to Illinois’ economy.”
In November, a federal appeals court placed a temporary administrative stay on the DOT’s new regulations to restrict the individuals eligible for a non-domiciled CDL.
On Feb. 11, Duffy issued a final rule to stop unqualified foreign drivers from obtaining licenses to drive commercial trucks and buses. In 2025, at least 17 fatal crashes and 30 deaths were caused by non-domiciled drivers who will now be ineligible to get a license.
The change closes two critical loopholes that allowed foreign drivers to obtain a CDL without states verifying their driving history, and a reliance on Employment Authorization Documents that resulted in more than 30 states illegally issuing tens of thousands of licenses to ineligible drivers.
President Trump’s Executive Order last year placed a renewed focus on roadway safety.
The deadly semi-truck crashes, along with disturbing videos and traffic stops showing drivers who cannot speak English or explain road signs, also prompted the investigation into “the widespread negligence of states that were illegally issuing non-domiciled CDLs.”
Secretary Duffy signed an order announcing new guidelines to strengthen English language enforcement for commercial truck operators.
Duffy took aim at the previous administration, saying that President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg “forced Americans to share their roads with unqualified and unvetted foreign drivers, but the Trump Administration is putting the needs of American families first where they belong.”
The nationwide audit reaffirms why federal regulators are targeting state-level CDL oversight more aggressively, particularly since semi-truck drivers frequently cross state lines. DOT officials maintain these unqualified foreign drivers pose a significant safety threat to the driving public.
“The last administration looked the other way as states blatantly defied federal laws when unlawfully issuing licenses to foreign drivers,” said FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs. “Secretary Duffy and I will be relentless in our agenda to reinstate commonsense safety standards that protect our truckers and American families.”
In California, the DOT’s audit found that “more than 25% of non-domiciled CDLs reviewed were improperly issued.” In New York State, it found that more than half of non-domiciled CDLs were issued in violation of federal law. In Colorado, the fraction was 22%.
