Florida is investigating sanctuary jurisdictions that issue commercial driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants after an undocumented immigrant truck driver allegedly caused a fatal crash earlier this month, killing three people, state Attorney General James Uthmeier said Monday.
Uthmeier addressed the media at a press conference with other law enforcement officials following the Aug. 12 crash involving 28-year-old undocumented immigrant Harjinder Singh, as well as the arrest of another undocumented immigrant, identified as Roberto Carlos Vergara, who was operating a commercial vehicle in Bay County on Sunday night.
“Our office is examining both the activities of other sanctuary areas and the agents and companies responsible for providing these examinations or not,” Uthmeier said, speaking about CDL exams that potential truck drivers must pass before being allowed to operate the vehicles.
Undocumented immigrants cannot acquire driver’s licenses in Florida, Uthmeier stated, adding that sanctuary states issuing licenses to undocumented immigrants pose a “significant liability.”
“It’s difficult to conceive of someone who doesn’t speak English successfully completing these exams and obtaining the necessary authorization,” the attorney general remarked. “If you can’t read street signs, how can you safely drive large commercial trucks, like 18-wheelers and tractor trailers?”
Singh, a 28-year-old undocumented immigrant from India, seems to have obtained CDL licenses from both California and Washington state. (United States Marshals Service)
Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said authorities are stepping up enforcement against illegal immigrants driving commercial trucks in the state.
Some measures include adding pullover lanes along Florida’s northern border and adding X-ray machines to interdiction stations, Simpson said.
