California is set to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants after state officials discovered the expiration dates went beyond the period when the drivers were legally allowed to be in the US.

The move comes amid sharp criticism from the Trump administration, which has repeatedly targeted California and other states for granting licenses to people in the country illegally.

The issue drew national attention in August, when a tractor-trailer driver not authorised to be in the US made an illegal U-turn in Florida, causing a crash that killed three people.

Transportation secretary Sean Duffy called California’s decision an admission that the state acted improperly.

“After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed. Now that we've exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked,” he said. “This is just the tip of the 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.”

Newsom’s office countered, saying all drivers whose licenses are being revoked had valid federal work authorisations.

Initially, the state refused to specify why licenses were being revoked, only later clarifying that state law requires licenses to expire on or before a person’s legal status in the US ends.

Brandon Richards, spokesperson for Newsom, fired back at Duffy: “Once again, the Sean Road Rules' Duffy fails to share the truth — spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his dear leader.”

The controversy is underscored by fatal truck crashes earlier this year in Texas and Alabama. In California, a fiery crash last month killed three people and involved a truck driver in the country illegally, intensifying questions about the licensing process.

Duffy had earlier imposed strict restrictions on immigrant eligibility for commercial driver’s licenses. Only holders of H-2a, H-2b, or E-2 visas will qualify under the new rules.

H-2a covers temporary agricultural workers, H-2b temporary nonagricultural workers, and E-2 those making substantial investments in a US business. States are now required to verify immigration status in a federal database.

Licenses will be valid for a maximum of one year unless the visa expires sooner.

Under these rules, only 10,000 of the 200,000 noncitizens with commercial licenses would qualify going forward, but the regulations are not retroactive. Those 190,000 drivers will keep their licenses until renewal.

The new rules were not in effect when California issued the 17,000 licenses, but the state has notified drivers that their licenses will expire in 60 days.

Duffy highlighted serious lapses in California’s system: one quarter of 145 reviewed licenses should not have been issued. He cited cases where licenses remained valid years after the driver’s work permit had expired.

Newsom’s office defended the state, saying it followed guidance from the US Department of Homeland Security when issuing licenses to noncitizens.