LOS ANGELES, Nov 13, (AP): California plans to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses given to immigrants after discovering the expiration dates went past when the drivers were legally allowed to be in the US, state officials said Wednesday. The announcement follows harsh criticism from the Trump administration about California and other states granting licenses to people in the country illegally.

The issue was thrust into the public’s consciousness in August, when a tractor-trailer driver not authorized to be in the US made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday that California’s action to revoke these licenses is an admission that the state acted improperly even though it previously defended its licensing standards.

California launched its review of commercial driver’s licenses it issued after Duffy raised concerns. "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,” Duffy said, referring to the state's governor.

"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.” Newsom's office said that every one of the drivers whose license is being revoked had valid work authorizations from the federal government. At first, his office declined to disclose the exact reason for revoking the licenses, saying only they violated state law.

Later, his office revealed the state law it was referring to was one that requires the licenses expire on or before a person’s legal status to be in the United State ends, as reported to the DMV. Still, Newsom’s spokesperson Brandon Richards shot back at Duffy in a statement. "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,” Richards said.

Fatal truck crashes in Texas and Alabama earlier this year also highlight questions about these licenses. A fiery California crash that killed three people last month involved a truck driver in the country illegally, only adding to the concerns. Duffy previously imposed new restrictions on which immigrants can qualify for commercial driver's licenses.

He said earlier this fall that California and five other states had improperly issued commercial driver's licenses to noncitizens, but California is the only state Duffy has taken action against because it was the first one where an audit was completed. The reviews in the other states have been delayed by the government shutdown, but the Transportation Department is urging all of them to tighten their standards.