Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has condemned California for issuing a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to an illegal migrant who later caused a deadly crash, killing three people and injuring four others. Duffy pointed to “significant compliance failures” by California’s Department of Motor Vehicles and warned that the Biden administration’s lax border policies played a direct role in the tragedy.
The crash occurred when 21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh, an illegal migrant from India, drove a semi-truck into a line of stopped vehicles on a California highway. Singh has been charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of DUI causing injury.
Clarence Nelson, a Los Angeles County high school basketball coach, and his wife, Lisa, were among those killed. A third victim’s identity has not yet been released.
According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), Singh received a restricted, non-domiciled CDL on June 27, despite being in the country illegally and having no employment-based visa. By October—just months after a DOT audit revealed California had improperly issued 25 percent of such licenses—the state lifted Singh’s license restrictions and allowed him to drive commercial vehicles across state lines.
This came after Duffy had already ordered California to pause issuance of non-domiciled CDLs and bring its system into compliance with federal law. DOT findings revealed that California ignored mandatory checks through the federal SAVE system, which verifies legal immigration status.
Duffy said, “This tragedy would have never happened if Gavin Newsom had followed our new rules.” He confirmed that the Trump administration is moving to withhold $40 million in funding from California for also failing to meet English language requirements for commercial drivers.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office deflected blame onto federal authorities, claiming the federal government approved Singh’s employment authorization. However, DOT officials stated clearly that Singh’s license should have been revoked under new rules that disqualified asylum seekers from eligibility.
