California, Washington, and New Mexico could forfeit millions in federal funding if they persist in not enforcing English language requirements for truckers, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Tuesday.
A probe initiated after a fatal crash in Florida involving a foreign truck driver who made an unauthorized U-turn this month has highlighted what Duffy terms as major enforcement shortcomings. These were discovered in all three states, which have been failing to implement rules initiated in June following one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
Truck drivers should be barred if they lack English proficiency, and Duffy pointed out that the driver from the fatal crash involving three fatalities should never have been granted a commercial driver’s license due to his immigration status. This incident has escalated politically, with the governors of California and Florida blaming each other, while Duffy emphasizes the Trump administration’s stance on immigration in various interviews.
“States don’t get to pick and choose which federal safety rules to follow,” Duffy stated. “As evidenced by the tragic Florida crash that claimed three lives, when states fail to enforce the law, they jeopardize public safety on the roads.”
Duffy mentioned that California had conducted approximately 34,000 inspections, uncovering at least one violation each time since the new language standards were implemented, which require truck drivers to read road signs and communicate in English. However, only one inspection led to a driver being removed from service due to an English language infraction. Moreover, 23 drivers with violations in other states were permitted to continue driving after being inspected in California.
He cited comparable figures for the other states, noting that Washington found over 6,000 safety rule violations during inspections but only removed four drivers from service due to English language issues. New Mexico has yet to remove any drivers from service since the regulations were put into place.
Duffy said the states will lose money from the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program if they don’t comply with the rules within 30 days. But he did not specify how much each state could lose. The states did not immediately respond to the proposed sanctions that were announced before officials start their day on the West Coast.
Three people were killed when truck driver Harjinder Singh made an illegal U-turn on a highway, according to Florida’s Highway Patrol. He is being held without bond after being charged with three state counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations.
A nearby minivan slammed into Singh’s trailer as he made the turn on a highway about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of West Palm Beach. Singh and his passenger were not injured.
Diamond R. Litty, the elected public defender in St. Lucie County, said her office was provisionally assigned to Singh’s case during his initial appearance Saturday morning. A review of his finances will determine whether Litty’s office remains on the case.
Litty said her office will focus on the criminal charges against Singh, who is presumed innocent, but they will also work with an immigration attorney to determine how Singh’s status affects the case. After more than three decades at her position, Litty said she can’t recall a case that garnered more attention than this one.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Singh has been caught in the crosshairs of politics,” Litty said.
The Department of Homeland Security has said Singh, a native of India, was in the country illegally. So Duffy said he should not have been granted a commercial driver’s licenses by Washington and California.
California is one of 19 states, in addition to the District of Columbia, that issues licenses regardless of immigration status. Supporters say that lets people work, visit doctors and travel safely.
But in addition, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office posted on the platform X that Singh obtained a work permit while Trump was president, which Homeland Security officials disputed.
Florida authorities have said Singh entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in 2018.
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Associated Press writers David Fischer, Morgan Lee and Eugene Johnson contributed to this report.
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