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ANALYSIS | Two US tragedies expose California's license failures: ICE reports 'a disturbing pattern of criminal illegal aliens'

These two triple-fatal crashes, separated by 3,000 kilometers and 71 days, are not isolated coincidences. Both unrelated drivers share a common thread: CDL licenses issued by California to undocumented immigrants who were not proficient in English.

Ontario truck accident

Ontario truck accident@CBSLA

Agustina Blanco
Published by
Agustina Blanco

On the Florida Turnpike on Aug. 12, an 18-wheeler mades a prohibited U-turn, blocked the tracks and crushed a family minivan. Three lives were snuffed out in seconds - Dor Dufresne, at the wheel, and his passengers Joseph Dufresne and another family member. The culprit: Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old driver from Punjab, India, who illegally crossed the southern border in 2018. He did not speak enough English to read "Bridge Out Ahead" or understand orders from police on the scene after the fact.

Additionally, his commercial driver's license (CDL) was issued by the DMV of California in 2024, despite failing basic post-accident language tests. Florida arrested him for triple vehicular homicide, and he faces up to 45 years in prison and deportation.

New tragedy hits the highways

Nearly two months later, on Oct. 22, Interstate 10 in Ontario, California became a twisted metal inferno. A red semitrailer swept along at 80 mph without braking, under the influence of drugs, ramming eight vehicles stopped in traffic. Three adults were killed instantly; four more, including the driver and a mechanic on the shoulder, end up hospitalized.

The culprit: Jashanpreet Singh, 21, also from Punjab, India. Captured at the southern border in March 2022 and released by the Biden Administration, he obtained his non-domiciled CDL (California Driver's License) in California also in 2024.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) charged him with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, serious injury, and DUI with drugs. For its part, ICE issued a detainer and noted: "A disturbing pattern of criminal illegal aliens driving commercial vehicles on American roads, directly threatening public safety.”

Not a coincidence

These two triple-fatal crashes, separated by 3,000 kilometers and 71 days, are not isolated coincidences. Both unrelated drivers share a common thread: the CDL licenses issued by California to undocumented immigrants who were not fluent in English, violating federal standards requiring understanding of signs, oral instructions, and written reports.

On the immigration status of the detainees, the DHS confirmed that both Singhs were released under Biden.

In Harjinder's case, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier revealed that neither he nor the state understood why California and Washington ignored Department of Transportation (DOT) and FMCSA rules. "If you can't read 'Bridge Out Ahead' or communicate with a state trooper at a crash scene, you have no business driving an 80,000-pound truck on American highways," Uthmeier stated, according to Just The News, demanding to revoke CDL authority and federal funds to those states—a demand that could cost $40 million annually to California.

Ripple effects in Congress

A day after the Ontario clash, North Carolina Republican Pat Harrigan introduced the SAFE Drivers Act (Standardized Assessment of English Fluency for Drivers), by Troy Nehls (Texas) and Bob Onder (Missouri).

This would be the fourth federal proposal since the August disaster, requiring a uniform English-language test for all national CDL applications. "No more guesswork, no more state-by-state loopholes, just one standard that keeps Americans safe," Harrigan said.

Consensus

For its part, the American Trucking Association supports the proposed solutions, noting, "the ability to read road signs, understand the rules of the road, and communicate with law enforcement officials is vital to ensuring the safety of all motorists.”

In Florida, the WEIGH Act (House Resolution 5177), by Byron Donalds, would force weigh stations to verify CDLs and English fluency by integrating systems such as PrePass for electronic turnouts.

But the focus falls on Democrat Gavin Newsom and his DMV, thanks to pro-immigrant policies that critics say prioritize "open borders" over road safety and more rigorous language barrier testing.

For its part, the Trump administration, through its secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, announced emergency rules in September to tighten CDL eligibility.

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