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Questions are looming over how the unlawful immigrant who killed three in a Florida truck crash obtained his industrial driver’s license.
Harjinder Singh is the suspect within the Fort Pierce crash, and officers have stated that he didn’t cross English and street exams, in response to officers.
Singh, who entered the US illegally, was given a full-term industrial driver’s license in Washington in July 2023, regardless of not legally being allowed to, and was given a limited-term industrial driver’s license in California in 2024, and the Division of Transportation is wanting into if it complied with federal laws.
Lora Ries, Director of the Border Safety and Immigration Middle at The Heritage Basis, defined how this might have occurred within the first place.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER ACCUSED OF KILLING THREE PEOPLE FAILED ENGLISH, ROAD SIGN TESTS: DOT
Harjinder Singh, 28, was arrested after allegedly making an unauthorized U-turn in Florida final week that resulted in a crash that left three folks lifeless, officers stated. (St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Workplace)
“Simply as states challenge driver’s licenses, in addition they challenge industrial driver’s licenses (CDLs). States should not alleged to challenge CDLs to an individual except they’re a U.S. citizen or lawful everlasting resident (inexperienced card holder). There appears to be a loophole for a state to challenge a CDL to somebody who’s merely approved to work within the U.S.,” Ries defined in an announcement to Fox Information Digital.
“Notice that the Trump (45) Administration denied Harjinder Singh’s utility for work authorization, however the Biden Administration later granted his request. That could possibly be sufficient to use this CDL loophole in a keen state,” she continued.
Ries additionally made some ideas, together with strikes that could possibly be made on the federal degree to stop additional tragedies.
FLORIDA TRAGEDY SHOWS WHY TRUMP’S TRUCKING LICENSE CRACKDOWN IS NEEDED

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) brokers look over lists of names and their listening to occasions and places contained in the Federal Plaza courthouse earlier than making arrests on June 27, 2025 in New York. ((Photograph by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP by way of Getty Pictures))
“First, the federal authorities ought to shut this loophole underneath its interstate commerce clause and federal immigration authority. Second, DHS shouldn’t challenge work authorization except and till the underlying immigration profit utility (resembling asylum) is granted, not merely filed. Too many fraudulent immigration profit functions are filed solely to acquire work authorization. Making such authorization contingent on the underlying profit being granted would considerably cut back profit fraud and shrink the applying backlogs,” Ries added.
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A number of states, resembling California and Minnesota, do permit folks within the nation illegally to drive in some circumstances, however it’s often a lot more durable in relation to acquiring a industrial license.
A debate went down on X earlier this week between California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press workplace and the Division of Homeland Safety on how the work allow challenge unfolded.
“Why don’t you ask Trump concerning the driver’s federally issued work allow and when he entered this nation?,” a Newsom spokesperson stated in an announcement. “Spoiler alert: it was in 2018 underneath Trump — whoops. He would have been eligible in any state. California adopted federal regulation, one thing the President is aware of nothing about.”
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCK DRIVER ACCUSED IN DEADLY FLORIDA CRASH GOT BIDEN WORK PERMIT AFTER TRUMP DENIAL: DHS

Tractor trailers on the entrance of the Port of Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (Nathan Howard)
“Actually, the motive force on this case was reissued an Employment Authorization (work allow) on 4/9/2025 and, if my math is right, that falls throughout the present presidential time period,” the assertion continued.
“3 harmless folks have been killed in Florida as a result of Gavin Newsom’s California DMV issued an unlawful alien a Industrial Driver’s License,” she wrote Monday on X. “This intestine wrenching tragedy ought to have by no means occurred. My workforce at @DHSgov will work with @USDOT to root out and forestall unlawful aliens from acquiring these licenses from sanctuary jurisdictions that put American drivers and passengers in peril.”
As well as, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin and Newsom’s press workplace had an change on X on Monday concerning the timeline.
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“Hey, genius: the federal authorities (TRUMP ADMIN) already confirmed that this man meets federal and state immigration necessities — YOU issued him a piece allow (EAD). As traditional, the Trump Administration is both mendacity or clueless. p.s. [grok], who was President in 2018?” Newsom’s workplace tweeted in a response to McLaughlin.
“False. Harjinder Singh is in the US illegally and his work authorization was rejected underneath the Trump Administration on September 14, 2020,” McLaughlin replied. “It was later accepted underneath the Biden Administration June 9, 2021. The state of California points Industrial Driver’s Licenses. There isn’t a nationwide CDL,” McLaughlin replied.
Fox Information Digital reached out to the California Division of Motor Automobiles and the California Lawyer Normal’s workplace for remark.
Fox Information Digital’s Louis Casiano and Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.