North Carolina has been too sloppy with paperwork, letting immigrants have commercial driver's licenses in situations they shouldn't, the U.S. Department of Transportation claimed Thursday.

Republican President Donald Trump will block nearly $50 million in federal funds for transportation projects in North Carolina unless changes are made, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced in an email under the banner: "Make American Roads Safe Again."

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The threatened federal funds include $48.8 million next year and $97.5 million every year after that until changes are made, Duffy said.

Spokespeople for Gov. Josh Stein didn't respond to a request for comment. Todd Spencer, the president of a lobbying group for truckers called the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, told WRAL Friday it supported the Trump administration's tactics to get North Carolina's attention.

"OOIDA and truckers across America applaud Secretary Duffy for responding to our concerns by taking substantial actions to crack down on the irresponsible issuance of non-domiciled CDLs in North Carolina," Spencer wrote. "For too long, loopholes in this program have allowed unqualified drivers onto America’s highways, creating unnecessary safety risks for professional drivers and the motoring public alike."

On Thursday, the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles issued the following statement through a spokesperson:

The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV) is aware of the letter from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regarding non-domiciled commercial driver licenses. NCDMV is committed to upholding safety and integrity in our licensing processes. We have been collaborating closely with our federal partners for several months to resolve these matters that are impacting many U.S. states.NCDMV spokesperson

The Trump administration's allegations against North Carolina came as the U.S. DOT analyzes systems in every state in the country. Duffy said in a formal letter to the state that the broader national effort uncovered 19 legal immigrants on temporary work visas who received CDLs in North Carolina — which is legal — but whose CDLs expired after their work permits ended, which Duffy said isn't legal.

There were 10 other people, Duffy said, who received CDLs despite state transportation officials appearing to not properly look up their immigration status first.

“North Carolina’s failure to follow the rules isn’t just shameful – it's dangerous," Duffy wrote. "I’m calling on state leadership to immediately remove these dangerous drivers from our roads and clean up their system."

Duffy provided no evidence that any of the drivers in question had been cited for dangerous driving or accidents, or that any of them had been using their CDLs for work at all.

Neither his letter nor his press release named any of the drivers whose CDL approvals allegedly broke the rules.