Law enforcement arrested an Indian national suspected of killing three in a major highway accident in California while under the influence of drugs and driving a semi-truck.
Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old Indian national, was taken into custody Tuesday after allegedly causing a multi-car pileup along a highway in Ontario, Calif., the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation. Singh, who is suspected of driving under the influence of drugs and vehicular manslaughter, entered the country unlawfully in 2022 and was released by the Biden administration. (RELATED: Pro-Democrat Unions Sue Over Trump Admin’s Crackdown On Illegal Migrant Truckers)
“It is a terrible tragedy that three innocent people have 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,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement provided to the DCNF.
“This accident follows a disturbing trend of illegal aliens driving 18 wheelers and semi-trucks on America’s roads,” McLaughlin continued. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is working day-in and day-out to make America’s road’s safe again.”
California crash kills three. KTLA 5 Youtube screen grab.
Singh first entered the country illegal through the southern border, according to DHS. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has since lodged a detainer request for him with local law enforcement in California.
“He was eventually transported to the hospital, and he was checked out by the medical staff, and our officers determined he was driving under the influence of drugs,” California Highway Patrol officer Rodrigo Jimenez said in a public statement.
“This is sadly a reminder of how precious life is, and how fast it could be taken away at the hands of somebody who is driving irresponsibly, somebody who is impaired,” Jimenez continued. “The hardest part is knowing that at least three of these individuals will not have a Christmas, will not make it home as we’re getting to the holiday season.”
Jashanpreet Singh. DHS image.
The accident marks the latest fatal accident allegedly involving an illegal migrant truck driver.
Harjinder Singh, an Indian national living illegally in the U.S., was charged in August with three counts of vehicular homicide after allegedly making an illegal U-turn on a Florida highway, resulting in three fatalities. Earlier in October, an illegal migrant trucker from Serbia and Montenegro was arrested in Indiana after allegedly turning onto oncoming traffic and killing another driver.
“Illegal aliens have no business operating 18 wheelers or semi-trucks on America’s highways,” McLaughlin previously stated, declaring that an immigration detainer had been lodged for the driver in Indiana.
The Trump administration has waged a crackdown on illegal migrant truck drivers.
Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy in September handed down stricter rules on migrant truckers, declaring that non-citizens who wish to earn non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) must undergo a mandatory federal immigration status check and have an employment-based visa. The new directive could ultimately affect the roughly 200,000 individuals who carry a non-domiciled CDL — many of them commercial truck drivers who did not enter the U.S. lawfully.
When handing down the new rules, Duffy singled out California, saying the state was particularly egregious with doling out licenses unlawfully to foreign drivers.
“California’s reckless disregard is frankly disgusting and an affront to the millions of Americans who expect us to keep them safe,” the DOT secretary said at the time. “California must get its act together immediately or I will not hesitate to pull millions in funding.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include information and commentary from the Department of Homeland Security.
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