FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — A truck driver accused of making an illegal U-turn that killed three people in Florida last week was denied bond Saturday.
The crash ignited a dispute between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom concerning Harjinder Singh, an Indian national, who secured a work permit and driver’s license in the state. The Trump administration claims that Singh was present in the U.S. unlawfully.
Singh faces charges for three state counts of vehicular homicide and immigration breaches, and he has been denied bail on all accusations. He is currently detained in the St. Lucie County Jail, as reported by Lt. Andrew Bolonka of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued a detainer against him.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for Homeland Security, criticized the issuance of a commercial license to someone illegally residing in the country as “absurd.” California stands among 19 states, plus the District of Columbia, that provide licenses regardless of immigration status. Advocates argue this policy enables individuals to work, access healthcare, and travel securely.
Newsom’s press office responded on platform X that Singh obtained a work permit while Donald Trump was president, which McLaughlin disputed.
Florida authorities said Singh entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in 2018.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis dispatched Lt. Gov. Jay Collins to California to escort Singh onto an airplane Thursday.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Singh executed an illegal turn on a highway about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of West Palm Beach. A minivan traveling in the adjacent lane couldn’t avoid colliding with the truck’s trailer, resulting in the deaths of the minivan’s driver and two passengers.
Singh and a passenger in his truck were not injured.
