More than 215,000 Indians have signed a petition demanding clemency for Harjinder Singh, an illegal migrant truck driver charged with killing three Americans in Florida. Singh caused the fatal wreck by executing a prohibited U-turn in an 18-wheeler on a Florida turnpike, despite reportedly failing to understand English or road signs.
The online petition, hosted on Change.org, describes Singh as a 28-year-old Punjabi man involved in a “tragic and unintentional” crash. It asks that he receive counseling or community service instead of the 45-year prison sentence handed down after the deaths of three Americans. The petition was signed overwhelmingly by other Indian migrants, many in the U.S., and blames fate, language barriers, and even the victims for the deadly crash.
Petition organizers describe Singh as a hardworking immigrant seeking a better life. “He left everything back home to have a better future here,” one signer wrote. Another claimed that Singh’s punishment is a result of “racial discrimination” and compared his case to that of Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, the Colorado trucker whose sentence was commuted after mass protests.
The petition openly displays loyalty to Singh while failing to show remorse for the victims. One signer said, “It’s not good to die alive person in jail for 45 years… should be less than 3–5 years.” Others downplayed personal responsibility with phrases like “mistakes were made” and “accident happened.”
The accident and ensuing petition shine a spotlight on the growing Indian migrant population in the U.S.—now exceeding 5 million, legally and illegally—and the lack of assimilation in key areas like road safety and public responsibility. In a 2024 article, Indian author Rohit Singh detailed India’s reckless driving culture, citing a widespread disregard for traffic laws and enforcement, which some fear is being imported into U.S. roads.
Federal immigration enforcement has historically failed to vet or properly train foreign commercial drivers. Singh’s inability to read road signs or follow safety regulations raises serious questions about the oversight of non-citizen drivers operating heavy vehicles in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security noted the case as another example of a fatal outcome enabled by weak enforcement under prior administrations. The incident now places renewed pressure on lawmakers to tighten oversight and revoke illegal migrants’ access to commercial trucking licenses.
