Federal immigration officials announced Thursday that a semi-truck driver accused of causing a deadly crash on a Southern California freeway was in the United States illegally and is now being held on immigration charges.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an arrest detainer for Jashanpreet Singh, on charges of manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence. Singh is an undocumented immigrant from India who is facing charges of causing the deaths of three people and injuring several others on a freeway in San Bernardino County, California.
Singh entered the United States through the southern border in 2022 and was “RELEASED into the country under the Biden Administration,” according to the DHS statement.
“It is a terrible tragedy three innocent people lost their lives due to the reckless open border policies that allowed an illegal alien to be released into the U.S. and drive an 18-wheeler on America’s highways,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
McLaughlin added, “This accident follows a disturbing trend of illegal aliens driving 18 wheelers and semi-trucks on America’s roads. Earlier this week, DHS highlighted another fatal accident in Indiana caused by an illegal alien driving a semi-truck. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is working day-in and day-out to make America’s roads safe again.”
In Indiana, Borko Stankovic was operating a semi-truck without a valid commercial license when he swerved into oncoming traffic and hit a Subaru Crosstrek. The driver of the Subaru, Jeffrey Eberly, tragically died at the scene.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reported in 2023 that roughly 16 percent of U.S. truck drivers were born outside the country.
“DHS law enforcement is protecting American communities every day from another senseless tragedy like this taking place in another town, to another family,” officials stated in the press release. “Victims of illegal alien crime may receive support from the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office by contacting 1-855-488-6423.”
