Overview

• Florida Highway Patrol says on Aug. 12 Harjinder Singh attempted an illegal U-turn through an “Official Use Only” median on the Florida Turnpike, and a minivan struck his trailer, killing three people.
• Investigators say he entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2018; U.S. Marshals arrested him in California on a Florida warrant, and he remains in custody with an ICE detainer.
• DHS officials state his work authorization was denied on Sept. 14, 2020 and approved on June 9, 2021, and he later obtained a California commercial driver’s license.
• California permits undocumented residents to obtain standard driver’s licenses but not commercial licenses, and its sanctuary law includes exceptions for serious crimes such as vehicular homicide.
• DHS and Secretary Kristi Noem publicly fault California’s DMV for issuing the CDL, while Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office counters that a federal work permit enabled eligibility and that the state followed federal rules.