White House Slams California Over License to Indian Trucker

The White House has criticized California over issuing a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old undocumented Indian immigrant involved in a fatal crash that killed three people in San Bernardino County. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called this incident part of a "disturbing pattern" in which "criminal illegal aliens" are allowed to operate heavy commercial vehicles on US roads without meeting federal requirements.

Singh, who entered the US illegally in 2022 through the southern border and was released under the previous administration, was charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence. The Department of Transportation (DOT) has launched an investigation into how California approved his CDL.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy condemned California’s failure to enforce mandatory English-language testing for commercial truck drivers, warning the state risks losing over $40 million in federal highway safety funding for non-compliance. Duffy also called California’s disregard for federal safety standards "disgusting."

The deadly crash occurred when Singh, driving under the influence of drugs, rammed his big rig into slow-moving traffic on the I-10 Freeway, causing a massive fire. This incident follows another crash in Florida involving an undocumented Indian immigrant who also held a California-issued CDL.

In response, the Trump administration is backing the SAFE Drivers Act, proposed legislation to ban foreign-language truck driver tests and prevent undocumented immigrants from obtaining CDLs, aiming to improve road safety nationwide.

California’s governor defended the state’s actions, stating that federal authorities had approved and renewed Singh’s federal employment authorization multiple times, allowing him to obtain a license legally under federal law. However, the federal government insists on stricter enforcement to prevent such tragedies in the future.

This case has intensified the debate around federal-state compliance with commercial driver licensing and immigration enforcement.