White House Raises Alarm Over “Disturbing Pattern” After Crash by Undocumented Indian Truck Driver Kills Three

The White House has sharply criticised California for issuing a commercial driver’s license to an “illegal alien” after an undocumented Indian-origin truck driver.

Jashanpreet Singh, caused a fiery eight-vehicle crash in Ontario, California, killing three people. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the incident as part of a “disturbing pattern” of commercial licenses being granted to illegal immigrants.

Speaking at a press briefing, Leavitt said, “California issued this individual a license, and the Department of Transportation is already reviewing the matter. He killed three people after entering the United States illegally in 2022, having been released into the country by the previous administration.”

She added that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has lodged a separate detainer for Singh, underscoring what the White House describes as an ongoing problem of illegal immigrants being allowed to operate commercial vehicles.

Singh, a 21-year-old semi-truck driver originally from Punjab, is accused of driving under the influence and causing a devastating crash that killed three people and injured four others. He was arrested in Ontario, California, and faces three counts of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He is scheduled for arraignment on Friday and does not yet have a lawyer.

Dashcam footage of the crash showed Singh’s truck colliding with a small white SUV, then striking multiple other vehicles, including another truck, before crashing into a disabled vehicle on the freeway’s shoulder.

The incident follows a similar deadly crash in Florida last month, which prompted Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Trump administration to tighten rules governing which noncitizens can obtain commercial driver’s licenses. Leavitt said the Department of Transportation is cracking down on licenses “wrongfully issued to people who clearly do not deserve to hold these positions.”

Duffy stated, “These people deserve justice. There will be consequences,” and blamed California Governor Gavin Newsom for not adhering to the new federal rules, saying the crash could have been prevented.

In response, Newsom’s office noted that Singh had been repeatedly granted federal employment authorization, which legally allowed him to obtain a commercial driver’s license under federal law.