The White House on Thursday lashed out at California for giving a commercial driver's licence to an "illegal alien" after Indian-origin truck driver Jashanpreet Singh caused a deadly multi-vehicle crash in Ontario, killing three people.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pointed out "a disturbing pattern" of criminal illegal aliens being issued commercial vehicle licenses in the country following the incident.
Singh, originally from Punjab, was living in US illegally after crossing the southern border in 2022. He was found to be under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident. Dashcam footage showed him speeding and failing to apply brakes before slamming into traffic, triggering a fiery pile-up.
Leavitt accused California of giving a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) to "an illegal alien" who killed three people in a major crash. She did not name Singh or mention his origins.
"I can confirm that California gave this individual a license, and it is something that the Department of Transportation has already looked into. I know Secretary Duffy, who is doing a phenomenal job, has spoken on this many times in the crackdown that the Department of Transportation is taking on these licenses that are being wrongfully issued to people who clearly do not deserve to uphold these positions," Leavitt said during the White House Press briefing.
Slamming the previous Joe Biden administration, Leavitt said that Singh entered the country in 2022 through the southern border and was "released" by the previous Biden administration.
She added that the incident shows a "disturbing pattern" of "criminal illegal aliens" being issued commercial licenses.
"As for this case in California, on October 22, ICE lodged an immigration detainer for this individual following his arrest by local authorities in California on charges of manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence. He killed three people. And he first entered the United States in 2022 through the southern border. And he was released into our country by the previous administration. ICE has lodged a separate detainer for this individual. And these tragedies are following a disturbing pattern of these criminal illegal aliens being issued commercial vehicle licenses. The Department of Transportation is absolutely cracking down on that...," she said.
The Department of Transportation is taking action, with Secretary Sean Duffy criticising states like California for failing to enforce federal English-language requirements for commercial truck drivers. California risks losing over $40 million in highway safety funding due to noncompliance.
"California's reckless disregard is frankly disgusting and an affront to the millions of Americans who expect us to keep them safe," Duffy stated in the September press release.
"California must get its act together immediately or I will not hesitate to pull millions in funding. To every other state around the country - find all improperly issued CDLs and revoke their licenses now. We owe it to the American people to ensure only lawful, qualified drivers are operating big rigs on our highways."
The recent incident comes close on the heels of another crash in Florida in August when Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old Indian-origin truck driver, made an illegal U-turn that led to a fatal collision with a minivan, killing three occupants.
Singh, who was living in California and possessed a commercial driver's license issued there, pleaded not guilty to three counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations.
(With inputs from agencies)
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