Lethal semitrailer crash in California renews federal criticism of immigrant truck drivers

By COREY WILLIAMS

A 21-year-old semitruck driver accused of being underneath the affect of medicine and inflicting a fiery crash that killed three folks on a southern California freeway is within the nation illegally, U.S. Homeland Safety officers stated Thursday.

Jashanpreet Singh was arrested and jailed after Tuesday’s eight-vehicle crash in Ontario, California, that additionally left 4 folks injured.

He faces three counts of vehicular manslaughter whereas intoxicated and driving underneath the affect inflicting harm, the San Bernardino District Lawyer’s workplace stated.

Singh is scheduled for arraignment Friday. The district lawyer’s workplace stated he doesn’t but have a lawyer.

Singh, of Yuba Metropolis, California, is from India and entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 throughout the southern border, Homeland Safety stated Thursday in a publish on X.

That revelation prompted Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to restate earlier considerations about who ought to be capable of get hold of business driver’s licenses. Duffy and President Donald Trump have been urgent the problem and criticizing California ever since a lethal Florida crash in August was brought on by an immigrant truck driver the federal authorities says was within the nation illegally.

The Transportation Division considerably restricted when noncitizens can get business driver’s licenses final month.

California’s Freeway Patrol stated in a launch that site visitors westbound on Interstate 10, about 26 miles west of San Bernardino, had slowed about 1 p.m. Tuesday when a tractor-trailer did not cease, struck different autos and brought on a chain-reaction crash.

Dashcam video from the tractor-trailer obtained by KABC-TV exhibits the truck slamming into what seems to be a small, white SUV within the freeway’s heart lane. It continued ahead, plowing into a number of different autos, together with one other truck. It then crossed over two lanes earlier than crashing into an already-disabled truck on the freeway’s proper shoulder.

Flames could be seen erupting alongside the tractor-trailer because it crosses the 2 proper lanes.

California Freeway Patrol Officer Rodrigo Jimenez says the company has seen the KABC video and believes it’s dashcam video from the truck that brought on the crash.

“This tragedy follows a disturbing sample of felony unlawful aliens driving business autos on American roads, immediately threatening public security,” Homeland Safety stated Thursday in its X publish.

Lethal crash in Florida

In August, a truck driver made an unlawful activate Florida’s Turnpike, about 50 milesnorth of West Palm Seaside, and was struck by a minivan. Two passengers within the minivan died on the scene, and the motive force died at a hospital.

Homeland Safety has stated that truck driver, Harjinder Singh, was in america illegally. Florida authorities stated he entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in 2018.

Homeland Safety stated Harjinder Singh obtained a business driver’s license in California, which is one in all 19 states, along with the District of Columbia, that situation licenses no matter immigration standing, in line with the Nationwide Immigration Legislation Heart.

The Trump administration has pointed to the Florida crash whereas sparring with California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In April, Trump issued an government order saying truckers who don’t learn and communicate the English language proficiently can be thought-about unfit for service.

“A driver who can’t perceive English is not going to drive a business car on this nation. Interval,” Duffy stated the next month.

Underneath the brand new Transportation Division guidelines imposed final month, solely noncitizen drivers who’ve three particular visas are allowed to qualify for business licenses. And states will likely be required to confirm their immigration standing. Solely drivers who maintain both an H-2a, H-2B or E-2 visa will qualify. H-2B is for short-term nonagricultural staff, whereas H-2a is for agricultural staff. E-2 is for individuals who make substantial investments in a U.S. enterprise

The licenses will solely be legitimate for as much as one 12 months except the applicant’s visa expires earlier than that.

On Thursday, Duffy referred to as the California crash “outrageous” in a social media publish.

“That is precisely why I set new restrictions that prohibit ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS from working vehicles,” he wrote on X. “@CAgovernor should be a part of each different state within the U.S. in imposing these new actions to forestall any extra accidents and deaths.”

Activist sees bias towards immigrant drivers

Bhupinder Kaur, director of operations for UNITED SIKHS, stated the New York-based humanitarian reduction nonprofit, is alarmed by what it sees as rising bias involving immigrant drivers.

It was not instantly clear Thursday afternoon if Jashanpreet Singh is Sikh.

“Legislation enforcement and hasty social media posts continuously rush to call, {photograph}, and expose immigration standing, whereas related particulars about non-immigrant drivers stay withheld,” Kaur advised The Related Press in an e-mail Thursday. “The discretion officers cite as ‘privateness’ elsewhere appears to fade when the motive force is an immigrant.”

Immigrant truckers make up almost one in 5 long-haul drivers, Kaur continued, including that almost all are absolutely licensed and law-abiding.

“But they face unequal scrutiny and protection,” Kaur stated. “Selective transparency distorts public understanding and may even affect authorized outcomes.”

Related Press author Luis Andres Henao contributed from Princeton, New Jersey.

Initially Revealed: October 23, 2025 at 4:03 PM PDT