The sentencing of Jashanpreet Singh, an Indian national who was in the U.S. illegally, to four years and eight months in prison for a fatal crash that killed three people has drawn sharp criticism from federal officials and conservatives, who decried the punishment as insufficient. The crash occurred in October 2025 on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County, California, when Singh's semitruck collided with slow-moving traffic, resulting in three fatalities and multiple injuries. Dashcam footage reportedly showed no application of brakes prior to impact.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy labeled the sentence a "slap on the wrist" and vowed that his agency would continue efforts "until ALL illegal alien truckers are put out of business and held accountable." The Department of Homeland Security echoed this sentiment, stating that immigration officials were prepared to arrest Singh upon his release to prevent him from returning to U.S. roads.
Singh, 21, had crossed the southern border in March 2022 and was released into the U.S. pending an immigration hearing, according to federal sources. He later obtained a California commercial driver's license in June 2025. Senator Mike Lee of Utah also criticized the sentence, calling it "wildly insufficient" for someone in the country illegally who caused three deaths.
The Department of Transportation had previously alerted California to compliance issues regarding commercial driver's licenses, urging the state to halt new licenses for non-citizens and review existing ones to ensure they met federal requirements. Federal officials indicated that Singh should have been disqualified under an emergency DOT policy, while California authorities maintained his eligibility was based on federally approved employment authorization documents.
The incident also brought to the forefront discussions about language proficiency tests for commercial drivers in California. During a gubernatorial debate, some Democratic candidates expressed opposition to a Trump administration proposal that would involve police issuing such tests, citing concerns about racial profiling. One candidate argued that enforcing such policies could be discriminatory, while another questioned the potential for biased application of the tests.