A Minneapolis Public Works garbage truck driver lost his job this spring after city officials decided his commercial driver’s license had been downgraded, a call the worker and his union say traces back to a paperwork typo at federal immigration services. Darley Herrera, a lawful permanent resident and father of four, was just hours from finishing his one-year probation when he was fired, turning what looked like a stable city job into a cautionary tale about what happens when rigid rules collide with messy records.
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Herrera says U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services chopped off part of his four-part legal name when he applied for documents tied to a REAL ID, which later created a mismatch in driving records. The paper reports that Minneapolis human resources told the union Herrera had not maintained the commercial license he needed for the job, while Driver and Vehicle Services told the Star Tribune that his CDL never actually lapsed during his time with the city. Laborers Local 363 has filed an unfair labor practice charge accusing Minneapolis of wrongfully firing Herrera and squeezing immigrant workers.
Federal rule narrowed who qualifies for commercial licenses
As laid out in a final rule summarized by the FMCSA, new requirements that took effect this spring tightened who can hold non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits and CDLs. States must now confirm specific immigration categories and downgrade licenses that do not meet the new standard. The agency’s notice in the Federal Register points to at least 17 fatal crashes in 2025 involving non-domiciled CDL holders as part of the rationale and urges State Driver Licensing Agencies to reissue or downgrade credentials to stay in line with the rule. Those federal changes have pushed states and employers into rapid compliance checks, often on tight timelines and with little room to clean up clerical mix-ups.
City records point to vendor reports and confusion
Emails obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune show Minneapolis supervisors believed Herrera’s CDL was downgraded on March 1 and that he drove commercial vehicles afterward, which the city cited as grounds to terminate him. The reporting notes that Minneapolis relied on a third-party vendor, Embark Safety, to flag changes in driving records. City documents list a final contract worth about $175,000 and show payments continuing through March 2026. Embark did not respond to the paper’s questions. City communications staff declined to go into details but said human resources does not discriminate based on immigration status.
Union presses for reinstatement as Herrera rebuilds
Laborers Local 363 maintains that Minneapolis fired Herrera without justification and has pushed the city to bring him back, with the union’s business manager publicly criticizing the move as indifferent to immigrant workers. From the federal government’s perspective, safety is the headline issue: the FMCSA and the Transportation Department have framed the rule changes as a way to close a gap they link to multiple deadly crashes. While that legal and political fight plays out, Herrera has picked up part-time work as an interpreter and is studying for certifications while the unfair labor practice case runs its course.
Legal angle
The union’s unfair labor practice complaint will move ahead under state labor law and could trigger an investigation, possible remedies, or a settlement if authorities conclude the city short-circuited required processes. The clash underscores a broader policy squeeze: employers racing to comply with federal safety directives can feel pressure to make fast, irreversible decisions about workers when data systems do not line up.
For Minneapolis employees whose names or documents do not match cleanly across government agencies, Herrera’s ordeal shows how quickly a bureaucratic typo can reshape a family’s finances and future. City leaders and labor advocates now face a choice between reopening cases like his or holding firm to a strict reading of new federal standards, even when the paperwork itself is in question.
