The trump administration has paused all work visas for truck drivers in the wake of a devastating crash that killed three on a Florida Highway. Harjinder Singh, an Indian national, fled to California in the immediate aftermath of the accident before being extradited to Florida to face charges, escorted personally by the state's Lieutenant Governor, Jay Collins. He currently faces three counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of manslaughter, and could serve up to forty-five years if convicted.
Singh was caught on an internal dashboard video camera making an illegal U-turn in the middle of a Florida Highway, causing a minivan to crash into the center portion of the semi-truck that he was driving.
In direct response to the crash, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a stay on all commercial driver's licenses issued to non-citizens. Following the incident, Singh was required to take an English proficiency test by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; he scored just two questions correctly out of twelve and was able to identify only one of the four highway signs shown to him. The area he was using to make the illegal U-turn was clearly marked with signs reading 'For Official Use Only,' and a basic comprehension of the English language- the official one of a country where he has lived for nearly seven years- could have prevented the tragic outcome of his actions.
Making matters even more horrific, following the tragic deaths of these three innocent people due to Singh's ongoing criminality and negligence, over 2.5 million people signed a petition urging Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to show leniency towards the accused. They claim that because his actions were not intentional, he should be offered either a reduced sentence or alternatives like community service. This despite Florida's definition of vehicular homicide only requiring the threshold be 'reckless' behavior, rather than intentional. While the signatures came from all over the world, the existence of such a petition when three innocent Americans are dead due to the conscious actions of one individual is shocking.
Singh initially entered the United States by way of the southern Mexican border in 2018, immediately being apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. He avoided deportation by claiming a legitimate fear of returning to his homeland and was allowed to remain in the US. By 2024, he had managed to obtain commercial driver's licenses in the states of California and Washington, both of which he did not qualify to possess for various reasons.
This is not the first time, even this year, that Americans have been killed in car accidents with illegal immigrant drivers. Earlier this summer in Houston, a Honduran national murdered two innocent teenagers when she crashed into them while driving drunk.
Already in 2025, ICE has arrested a reported 752 people illegally in this country who have already been convicted of homicide.
Do you believe it is fair that non-citizens be denied commercial driver's licenses? What should be the punishment for states found to be operating outside of the appropriate procedure for issuing such permits?
Hilary Gunn is a Connecticut native with a degree in Criminal Justice from the George Washington University. She works for a nonprofit and has previously collaborated with the CT GOP as an activist, political campaign manager and field director, and social media organizer. She is currently serving in her fourth term of municipal office and has previously acted as a delegate on the Republican Town Committee.