Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador on Thursday joined a coalition of states, led by Florida, in filing an amicus brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in defense of a federal rule that prevents states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

The Rule at Issue

The case, Lujan v. FMCSA, centers on a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulation that limits CDL eligibility for foreign-domiciled applicants to those holding H-2A, H-2B, or E-2 visas. The rule effectively bars states from extending commercial driving credentials to individuals in the country illegally.

Several states — including California, New York, and Washington — have issued CDLs to illegal immigrants, a practice the coalition argues conflicts with federal law and has had deadly consequences on public roads.

Fatal Crashes Cited as Impetus

The brief points to a series of fatal accidents linked to the policy. In Florida, an illegal immigrant who could not read English or traffic signs was behind the wheel of an eighteen-wheeler when a crash killed three people. Similar fatal collisions were documented in California, Tennessee, Indiana, and Oregon. In cases tied to CDLs issued by California, New York, and Pennsylvania, illegal immigrant drivers were involved in crashes that collectively killed more than a dozen people.

“States like California, New York, and Washington have skirted federal law to issue commercial driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants who can’t read English or our road signs, and families have paid for it with their lives,” Labrador said.

Litigation Status

The D.C. Circuit has already declined to suspend the FMCSA rule while the legal challenge proceeds, allowing the restriction to remain in effect during litigation. Oral argument in the case is scheduled for September 15, 2026.

The coalition’s brief argues that the federal government has both the authority and the obligation to set uniform safety standards for commercial vehicle operation nationwide, and that state-level workarounds undermine those standards.

Labrador’s Role in Multi-State Litigation

Labrador, Idaho’s 33rd Attorney General, has made participation in multi-state legal actions on federal regulatory and immigration matters a consistent feature of his tenure. The amicus filing in Lujan v. FMCSA follows that pattern, placing Idaho alongside states challenging what the coalition characterizes as a patchwork of conflicting state CDL policies that create safety risks across state lines.

Commercial trucking operates across state and federal jurisdictions, making uniform licensing standards a longstanding concern for federal regulators. Supporters of the FMCSA rule argue that language proficiency and compliance with federal eligibility requirements are baseline safety conditions for operating large commercial vehicles on public highways.

What Comes Next

With oral argument set for mid-September, the D.C. Circuit is expected to hear from both sides on the merits of the FMCSA rule before issuing a ruling. The outcome could have broad implications for states that have independently moved to expand CDL access beyond federally recognized visa categories.

Idaho’s participation signals that the state intends to remain an active voice in federal regulatory litigation, particularly on matters touching immigration enforcement and public safety. As Idaho lawmakers and officials have weighed a range of policy questions this year — from federal land management to immigration-related provisions in Congress — the Labrador brief adds another front to the state’s engagement with national policy debates.