Assemblymember Dr. Bains Accuses DMV of ‘Turban Targeting,’ Urges Newsom to Defy Federal Trucking Rule

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains called on Governor Gavin Newsom Monday to block the California Department of Motor Vehicles from revoking the commercial driver’s licenses of Sikh and Indian truckers, labeling the state’s compliance with a new federal rule as “turban targeting.”

Bains, a Democrat representing Delano who is running for Congress in California’s 22nd District, described the license revocations as a capitulation to “right-wing xenophobia” fueled by sensationalized media coverage of isolated accidents involving immigrant drivers.

“We are witnessing a coordinated effort to paint Sikh and Indian drivers as ‘dangerous’ or ‘foreign menaces’ based on nothing but right-wing xenophobia,” Bains said in a statement. “By capitulating to this federal rule, the DMV is effectively validating the lie that Indian immigrants are a threat to public safety.”

The controversy centers on a federal Interim Final Rule issued in September by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which tightened regulations for “non-domiciled” Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs). The rule, aimed at closing loopholes in how states issue licenses to non-citizens, has forced state agencies like the California DMV to downgrade or revoke licenses for drivers who do not meet stricter residency or visa requirements.

Bains, the first Sikh American elected to the California legislature, argues the policy disproportionately impacts the Sikh community, which makes up a significant portion of the state's logistics and trucking workforce.

Her letter to the governor comes amidst a heated political climate surrounding Sikh truck drivers, intensified by a high-profile incident earlier this year. In August, Harjinder Singh, a Sikh driver from Stockton, was arrested in connection with a fatal crash in Florida that killed three people.

Following the crash, Singh returned to California, where he was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals. The case garnered national attention when Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins flew to Stockton to personally oversee Singh’s extradition. Collins escorted Singh onto a plane at the Stockton Metropolitan Airport, a move critics at the time dismissed as a political stunt but which supporters hailed as a necessary enforcement of the law.

Bains contends that the media frenzy surrounding the Singh case has been weaponized to justify broad regulatory attacks on all Indian drivers.

“This policy is the direct result of racist rhetoric that weaponizes isolated accidents to vilify an entire community,” Bains said. “These men and women kept our supply chains moving through the worst of the pandemic. Now, they are being told they don’t belong on our roads.”

The Assemblymember’s aggressive stance on the issue highlights her platform as she challenges incumbent Republican Rep. David Valadao for the highly competitive 22nd Congressional District seat. Bains has positioned herself as a defender of the Central Valley’s working-class and immigrant communities against federal overreach.

In her letter, Bains noted that the drivers facing revocation are documented residents with valid work authorization who pay taxes. She is demanding that Newsom halt the cancellation of non-domiciled CDLs while the state explores legal options to protect the affected drivers.

“The Governor must halt these revocations immediately,” Bains said. “We cannot allow the DMV to strip the livelihoods of hardworking families to score points for a hateful political narrative.”

Governor Newsom’s office has not yet issued a response to the letter.