California Governor Gavin Newsom 's office passed the buck on President Donald Trump on the issue of illegal alien Harjinder Singh who has been charged with vehicular homicide after his wrong U-turn killed three people in Florida. 35-year-old Harjinder, who is from India, has a commercial driver's license in Dem-ruled California that triggered a political slugfest with Republicans blaming Dem states of becoming the sanctuaries of illegal aliens.
Newsom's office said Singh entered the US in 2018 when Trump was the president. Under California's law, one gets a commercial driver's license only when they have a lawful presence in the country, Newsom's office said.
Deportation after criminal proceedings
The video of Harjinder and a co-passenger inside the truck moments before taking the wrong turn went viral. The accident took place on August 12 near Fort Pierce on the Florida Turnpike when Singh turned his tractor-trailer through an "unauthorized location" which was meant of office use only.
After the video went viral, it was found out that Singh entered the US illegally through the southern border in 2018. It's not clear how he managed a driver's license if he was an illegal alien.
Singh faces three counts of vehicular homicide. Under Florida law, vehicular homicide is a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. He faces deportation after criminal proceedings.
California driver's license rule
California's Assembly Bill 60 (AB 60), enacted in 2015, allows undocumented immigrants to apply for a driver's license if they can provide proof of identity and California residency. These licenses are marked "not for federal identification."
"This incident underscores the importance and urgency of the work that the Trump Administration is doing to audit CDL issuances nationwide, in addition to its enhanced enforcement of English-language proficiency—a fundamental requirement for operating commercial vehicles in interstate commerce," chief operation officer of American Trucking Association Dan Hovrath told Newsweek.
Newsom's office said Singh entered the US in 2018 when Trump was the president. Under California's law, one gets a commercial driver's license only when they have a lawful presence in the country, Newsom's office said.
.@grok, who was President in 2018? pic.twitter.com/51mbnoaghX
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 17, 2025
Deportation after criminal proceedings
The video of Harjinder and a co-passenger inside the truck moments before taking the wrong turn went viral. The accident took place on August 12 near Fort Pierce on the Florida Turnpike when Singh turned his tractor-trailer through an "unauthorized location" which was meant of office use only.
After the video went viral, it was found out that Singh entered the US illegally through the southern border in 2018. It's not clear how he managed a driver's license if he was an illegal alien.
Singh faces three counts of vehicular homicide. Under Florida law, vehicular homicide is a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. He faces deportation after criminal proceedings.
California driver's license rule
California's Assembly Bill 60 (AB 60), enacted in 2015, allows undocumented immigrants to apply for a driver's license if they can provide proof of identity and California residency. These licenses are marked "not for federal identification."
"This incident underscores the importance and urgency of the work that the Trump Administration is doing to audit CDL issuances nationwide, in addition to its enhanced enforcement of English-language proficiency—a fundamental requirement for operating commercial vehicles in interstate commerce," chief operation officer of American Trucking Association Dan Hovrath told Newsweek.
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