American Federation of Teachers sues over noncitizen bus driver rules

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has joined a lawsuit to block the Trump administration's efforts to remove certain noncitizen drivers from school buses. The legal challenge comes as the Department of Transportation (DOT) enforces stricter rules for non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses (CDL). Under these regulations, non-citizens must meet specific requirements, including holding an employment-based visa and passing a mandatory federal immigration status check via the SAVE system.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that drivers must be able to read road signs and communicate with law enforcement to operate buses safely. This crackdown follows the DOT's discovery of over 500 non-compliant CDL training centers, some of which specialized in school bus driver instruction. The administration's actions aim to address safety concerns following several fatal accidents involving non-citizen commercial drivers in recent years.