ICE Seeks Arrest of California Truck Driver Who Killed 3

The truck driver involved in the Oct. 21 accident was cited for driving under the influence of drugs.

Jashanpreet Singh. U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Federal immigration authorities have filed an arrest order for an Indian national who is alleged to have killed three people in California while driving a semi-truck under the influence of drugs, authorities announced on Oct. 23.

Released the day after the accident, dash cam video shows a commercial truck crashing into the back of a passenger car and several other vehicles on the 10 freeway in Southern California on Oct. 21.

Three people died instantly in the accident, and several others were injured, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement.

ICE lodged an arrest detainer on Oct. 22 for Jashanpreet Singh, 21, who they said is “a criminal illegal alien from India.”

The driver was arrested by the California Highway Patrol at the site of the crash, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department inmate log.

Singh remained in custody on Oct. 23 on charges of driving while intoxicated and causing bodily injury and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, according to sheriff’s department records. The immigration detention order directs law enforcement to turn Singh over to federal authorities before he is released.

The dash cam footage released to ABC7 shows Singh’s truck smashing first into the back of a passenger car before also crashing into the backs of several other vehicles and another semi-truck then veering off to the shoulder, where it struck another big rig and maintenance vehicle.

Singh, a resident of Yuba City, California, allegedly entered the United States in 2022 through the southern border and was released into the country under the Biden administration, according to federal authorities.

“It is a terrible tragedy three innocent people lost their lives due to the reckless open border policies that allowed an illegal alien to be released into the U.S. and drive an 18-wheeler on America’s highways,” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in the statement.

California officials confirmed with The Epoch Times that the state issued Singh a federal commercial driver’s license, which was also a REAL ID, but pointed to a federal policy that allowed the license to be issued.

Singh’s work authorization permit was first approved by the federal government during President Joe Biden’s term. It was extended in 2025 to 2026 and later to 2030, according to information provided to The Epoch Times.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles approved Singh’s commercial driver’s license application using the federal work authorization. California also approved his REAL ID after the federal government confirmed his legal status, according to DMV records.

“The state does not determine commercial driver’s license eligibility,” the California Transportation Agency posted on X in response to comments about Singh’s commercial license on Oct. 23. “The federal government approves and renews all federal employment authorization documents that allows individuals to work and obtain commercial driver’s licenses.”

The Trump administration has since changed eligibility requirements for commercial licenses.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the news of Singh’s commercial license was “outrageous.”

“This is exactly why I set new restrictions that prohibit illegal immigrants from operating trucks,” Duffy posted on X.

The crash was the latest in a string of deadly crashes allegedly caused by illegal immigrants driving commercial trucks.

“This accident follows a disturbing trend of illegal aliens driving 18 wheelers and semitrucks on America’s roads,” McLaughlin said.

Earlier this week, ICE lodged a detainer for an illegal alien who was operating a semi-truck when he struck and killed another driver in Indiana.

Immigration authorities say Borko Stankovic from Serbia and Montenegro was operating a commercial truck without a valid license when he swerved into oncoming traffic and hit a Subaru Crosstrek, killing the driver.

In August, another illegal immigrant from India, Harjinder Singh, was arrested in California for allegedly driving a semi-truck in Florida when he was involved in a crash that also killed three people. Singh was accused of causing an Aug. 12 crash when he illegally made a U-turn on the Florida Turnpike. He has pleaded not guilty to three charges of vehicular homicide.

In September, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol arrested 91 illegal immigrants driving 18-wheelers on highways in the state. Federal immigration agents check on foreign-born nationals whom Oklahoma police encounter during patrol. During the four-day operation, 120 illegal aliens were arrested for immigration violations, and 91 of those were illegally driving commercial vehicles, according to Homeland Security.

This article has been updated with a response from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.