&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US pauses foreign truck driver visas after Indian man's 'illegal turn' crash killed 3 in Florida: Was he staying illegally?")
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that the US is pausing the issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers with immediate effect. He said that foreign drivers on American roads are "endangering American lives." The decision by the Trump administration comes after an Indian truck driver identified as Harjinder Singh took an illegal turn in Florida's Turnpike about 50 miles (80 kilometres) north of West Palm Beach and killed three people. Singh has been arrested and charged with three state counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations. The US Department of Homeland Security alleged that he was living in the country 'illegally'.
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Lieutenant Governor of Florida Jay Collins, in a post on X, said that he and Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis together brought the perpetrator of the fatal incident to justice."He thought he could run," Collins said. Florida officials escorted Harjinder Singh in the presence of Collins. He criticised California Governor Gavin Newsom's policies for allowing Singh to remain in the US and obtain a commercial driver's license, calling them a threat to public safety. Collins did not elaborate on why Singh was able to fly to California after the fatal crash on Florida’s Turnpike. US Marshals arrested him Saturday in Stockton. The arrest of Hajinder Singh sparked a war of words between Democrat governor Newsom and Republican leaders.
Was Harjinder staying illegally in the US?
Florida officials reported that Harjinder Singh entered the US illegally from Mexico in 2018, though many aspects of his immigration history remain unclear. Homeland Security later revealed he was granted commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) in California and Washington, with California and D.C. issuing such licenses regardless of immigration status, as noted by the National Immigration Law Centre.
California Governor Newsom’s office claimed Singh obtained a work permit during Donald Trump’s presidency, but Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin countered that, stating his permit was denied in September 2020 and only approved in June 2021, under President Biden. Singh allegedly failed both English and highway sign recognition tests after the accident. According to the US Department of Transportation, he correctly answered only 2 out of 12 questions on the English test and recognised just one of four road signs. Despite these poor results and his illegal entry into the US, Singh still managed to obtain CDLs in at least two states. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy condemned the incident, calling it a “preventable tragedy” caused by reckless choices and systemic failures.
