California Gov. Gavin Newsom violated federal law by upgrading the driver’s license of the illegal migrant trucker accused of causing a horrific, drug-fueled pile-up that killed three people and wounded several others, a bombshell new report claims.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed Newsom for Tuesday’s deadly crash, alleging state officials unlawfully upgraded Jashanpreet Singh’s commercial license weeks after a new federal rule went into effect barring illegal immigrants from holding such privileges, according to a DOT report released Friday.
The restrictions, which require states to verify an applicant’s legal status, took effect on Sept. 26 — while the 21-year-old Indian national’s driving rights were expanded on Oct. 15, the report states.
“My prayers are with the families of the victims of this tragedy,” Duffy said in a statement.
“It would have never happened if Gavin Newsom had followed our new rules. California broke the law and now three people are dead and two are hospitalized. These people deserve justice. There will be consequences.”
Singh was initially issued a restricted CDL in the Golden State on June 27, confining him to intrastate travel, according to the DOT’s report.
When the new regulations took effect, the federal agency informed California officials of “significant compliance failures” related to the issuance of truckers’ licenses and gave them 30 days to audit its practices and void or rescind all unexpired CDLs, the report states. --->READ MORE HERE
A recent fatal truck crash could have been prevented if California had complied with federal rules, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
The comment serves as the latest round in the battle between the Department of Transportation and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Earlier this month, Duffy announced that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would withhold about $40.7 million from California for not complying with the agency’s English-proficiency standards.
Now, the DOT contends that an Oct. 21 fatal crash on Interstate 10 in Ontario, Calif., could have been prevented if the state had followed FMCSA’s emergency interim final rule regarding the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs.
The California Highway Patrol confirmed that truck driver Jashanpreet Singh, 21, was arrested on Oct. 21 for driving under the influence of drugs and vehicular manslaughter following the eight-vehicle crash. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security said the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detainer for Singh. According to the DHS, Singh is from India and entered the U.S. illegally in 2022.
“My prayers are with the families of the victims of this tragedy,” Duffy said in a news release. “It would have never happened if Gavin Newsom had followed our rules. California broke the law, and now three people are dead and two are hospitalized. These people deserve justice. There will be consequences.”
The California State Transportation Agency pushed back, posting on the social media platform X that the state doesn’t decide whether a CDL applicant is eligible.
“MISINFORMATION ALERT: The state does not determine commercial driver’s license eligibility,” the state transportation agency wrote. “The FEDERAL government approves and renews all FEDERAL employment authorization documents that (allow) individuals to work and obtain commercial driver’s licenses.” --->READ MORE HERE
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