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35m ago

Florida Crash Case Triggers U.S. Pause on Trucker Work Visas

The pause follows a fatal U-turn crash linked to an undocumented driver with a California commercial license.

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Harjinder Singh was escorted onto an airplane by Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and law enforcement officers on Thursday in Stockton.
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On August 12, Harjinder Singh, driving a truck, attempted an illegal u-turn, which resulted in the death of three persons in a minivan (@CollinRugg/X)

Overview

  • Harjinder Singh has been extradited to Florida to face three counts of vehicular homicide, with a federal immigration detainer in place.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced an immediate halt to issuing worker visas for commercial truck drivers, affecting applicants in H-2B, E-2, and EB-3 categories.
  • State Department officials and outside estimates indicate only a small share of the nation’s 3.5 million truckers would be impacted, with roughly 1,400–1,500 such visas issued annually in recent years.
  • The Department of Transportation opened an inquiry into the August 12 Turnpike crash, while DHS said Singh entered the U.S. illegally and later obtained a California CDL after receiving a federal work permit, which a DHS official said was denied in 2020 and approved in 2021.
  • Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins escorted Singh’s transfer from California, prompting criticism from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, and a Change.org petition for clemency surpassed 215,000 signatures.