California, Washington, and New Mexico stand to lose millions of dollars in federal funding if they persist in neglecting to enforce English language requirements for truck drivers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Tuesday.
An investigation initiated after a fatal crash in Florida, involving a foreign trucker who executed an illegal U-turn earlier this month, revealed what Duffy termed as considerable lapses in how these three states are applying rules that came into force in June following an executive order from President Donald Trump.
The regulations stipulate that truckers should be disqualified if they fail to exhibit English proficiency. Duffy mentioned that the driver involved in the crash, which resulted in three fatalities, should never have received a commercial driver’s license due to his immigration status. This incident has sparked political tension, with the governors of California and Florida exchanging criticisms and Duffy emphasizing the Trump administration’s immigration concerns in various interviews.
“States don’t have the authority to pick and choose which federal safety rules they want to follow,” Duffy remarked. “The devastating crash in Florida that led to three deaths demonstrates that when states ignore the law, they endanger the driving public.”
Duffy reported that California had conducted about 34,000 inspections since the new language standards were implemented, identifying at least one violation in each case. However, only one inspection cited an English language violation serious enough to remove a driver from service. Furthermore, 23 drivers with offenses noted in other states were permitted to continue driving after inspections in California.
He presented similar findings for Washington, which recorded over 6,000 safety rule violations during inspections, yet only temporarily sidelined four drivers for English language shortcomings. Meanwhile, New Mexico has not barred any drivers from service since the introduction of the new rules.
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.
