California canceled thousands of commercial truck driving licenses held by immigrant drivers, hitting Sikh-owned trucking businesses hard. Sikh owner Bikramjeet Singh Gill of Gillson Trucking Inc. saw his Stockton truck yard go silent. About 35 immigrant drivers lost their licenses last year after the California Department of Motor Vehicles canceled them following a September federal audit. "We have lost nearly $2 million in the last four months while paying $200,000 monthly to the bank and insurers for 35 parked trucks. The banks don’t wait," Gill told CalMatters. The Trump administration's audit found some licenses extended beyond drivers’ legal permission to live and work in the US. New federal rules could affect up to 61,000 immigrant truck drivers nationwide. Around 35% of California’s commercial drivers are Sikh, especially in the Central Valley. Truck driving provides steady income for many Sikh immigrants who took loans to settle in the US. The Sikh Coalition has filed a lawsuit against California's cancellation of non-domicile licenses, calling it unfair to immigrant drivers. Legal director Munmeeth Kaur said, "When someone loses their CDL, they lose their livelihood." The Trump administration defended the crackdown and threatened to cut transportation funds to California for not canceling licenses quickly. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, "It’s a day for Gavin Newsom and California. Our demands were simple: follow the rules, revoke the unlawfully-issued licenses to dangerous foreign drivers, and fix the system so this never happens again." Gill reported that almost 100 trucks sat idle last October. "It totally devastated us," he said. Some drivers have returned because of mortgages and debts, and new hires include green card holders and US citizens. Gill stated, "According to the law, if someone has work authorization and valid licenses then we can hire him. We can’t discriminate against anyone." Fear is growing after ICE arrested truckers at inspection sites. Gill shared, "Our driver was recently arrested by ICE while standing at a truck stop in Minnesota." The arrested driver is still in detention. Drivers have started removing Sikh symbols from their trucks to avoid harassment. "Every driver displays pictures or signs representing what inspires him," Gill said. "Now they removed them. The drivers say people record videos of their trucks and post them on social media or honk at them aggressively."