Florida sues California, Washington for licensing immigrants

By David Beasley
The Center Square

The state of Florida has filed a complaint with the U.S. Supreme Court against the states of California and Washington, sayinga damage has been caused as a result of granting commercial driver’s licenses to people illegally living in the country.

“Both states routinely frustrate and hinder federal law enforcement from addressing the immigration crisis and the destruction that accompanies it,” says the Florida petition filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction in legal conflicts between states.

The petition says California and Washington have been granting commercial driver’s licenses to people without legal documentation to be in America.

“Federal law requires that states issuing CDLs abide by relevant safety and immigration status standards,” Florida’s petition states. “California and Washington, however, chose to ignore these standards and authorize illegal immigrants without proper training or the ability to read road signs to drive commercial motor vehicles.”

That resulted in “mayhem” in other states that do follow the laws on commercial driver’s licenses, Florida’s petition states.

“Florida is the most recent victim,” according to the petition. “Just a few weeks ago, an illegal immigrant – licensed by both Washington and California – attempted a reckless U-turn across a busy Florida highway in an eighteen-wheeler.”

The driver could neither read or speak English, Florida said.

“The result was three fatalities and a flurry of costly preventative measures by Florida to limit the dangerous and improperly licensed drivers from threatening its roads and its citizens,” Florida’s petition states.

It asks the Supreme Court to declare the actions of California and Washington an “actionable public nuisance,” and to issue injunctions against the two states from continuing to issue such licenses to people illegally in America.

“It’s a shame,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said in an interview Wednesday with Fox News host Sean Hannity. “Here in Florida, we can do everything right. We can enforce the law. We can combat illegal immigration. But we still suffer when Gavin Newsom and liberals on the West Coast allows these illegals in, encourage them and enable them. And then cross the country and take lives.”

The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication of getting comment from California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.