POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: RNC falsely says 54% of NC’s commercial driver licenses were issued illegally to noncitizens

POLICYWIRE COUNTER-MISINFORMATION & DISINFORMATION DESK

FALSE

THE VERIFIED CLAIM

"RNC falsely says 54% of NC’s commercial driver licenses were issued illegally to noncitizens"

OFFICIAL VERDICT: FALSE

The Claim

On September 2, 2026, the Republican National Committee (RNC) posted a social media message accusing Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Roy Cooper of mismanaging the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The post stated: “54% of North Carolina commercial driver’s licenses were issued illegally to foreign nationals.” This claim was shared across multiple platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, and quickly gained traction as a political attack against Cooper, who was then governor of North Carolina.

The RNC emphasized that the figure suggested a significant failure in the state’s licensing system, implying that noncitizens had been granted CDLs without proper legal authorization. The claim was used to argue that Cooper’s leadership posed a risk to public safety, as commercial drivers with illegal licenses could endanger other road users. The RNC also claimed that the issue was a direct result of Democratic governance, further fueling partisan debate around the topic.

The Details & Investigation

The RNC’s claim originated from a report by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation. In January 2026, the FMCSA conducted a review of CDLs issued in 25 states, including North Carolina, and identified discrepancies in the data. Specifically, the agency examined a sample of 50 CDLs issued to noncitizens and found that 27 of them—54%—did not comply with federal law. These violations included cases where the license expiration dates exceeded the drivers’ legal U.S. work authorization periods or where the DMV failed to verify the drivers’ immigration status.

However, the RNC’s interpretation of these findings was misleading. The FMCSA’s audit was limited to a small sample of 50 CDLs, not the entire pool of over 325,000 active CDLs in North Carolina. When the North Carolina DMV conducted a full review of all its CDLs, it found that only 1,149—approximately 0.35% of all CDLs—had administrative errors. Importantly, none of these errors involved noncitizens who were in the country illegally. The primary issue was a mismatch between license expiration dates and the drivers’ work authorization periods, which the DMV has since corrected.

The RNC’s use of the 54% figure was a clear case of disinformation. By selectively citing the FMCSA’s partial audit and omitting critical context, the RNC misrepresented the scale and nature of the problem. The DMV confirmed that the majority of the 8,540 CDLs issued to noncitizens were valid and properly authorized. Furthermore, the FMCSA acknowledged the state’s corrective actions in a July 21, 2026 letter, stating that North Carolina had addressed the deficiencies and was no longer at risk of losing federal funding.

The RNC later attempted to reframe the issue, crediting the Trump administration for the changes, while continuing to propagate the original false statistic. This suggests a deliberate effort to distort the facts for political gain. The organization did not correct the misleading 54% figure despite being provided with the DMV’s detailed response and the FMCSA’s updated assessment.

The Verdict

The RNC’s claim that 54% of North Carolina’s commercial driver licenses were issued illegally to noncitizens is categorically false. The 54% figure stems from a limited sample of 50 CDLs, not the entire dataset of over 325,000 licenses. A full review by the North Carolina DMV revealed that only 0.35% of CDLs had administrative issues, and none of those involved individuals in the country illegally. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration confirmed that the state had taken appropriate corrective measures, and the issue no longer threatens federal funding.

This is a clear example of disinformation. The RNC intentionally omitted key details, misrepresented the scope of the problem, and continued to spread the false statistic even after being presented with accurate information. The claim was designed to cast doubt on Governor Roy Cooper’s record and to create fear about the safety of commercial drivers. As such, the RNC’s statement is rated as FALSE, with elements of deliberate deception.

Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by PolicyWire Editorial Desk (PW).