A deadly crash in Florida is reigniting a national debate over sanctuary policies and the dangers they pose to American communities. At the center of this story is Harjinder Singh, an illegal alien from India, who was behind the wheel of a semi-truck when he made an illegal U-turn in St. Lucie County. That reckless move left three innocent Americans dead. Singh has since been arrested and charged with three counts of vehicular homicide.
Video footage posted online shows the tragic scene unfolding, with Singh making the U-turn and appearing to show no reaction as the passenger vehicle collided with his truck. The question haunting many is not only how this crash happened, but how Singh was even allowed to legally drive a commercial vehicle in the first place.
The answer lies in California’s sanctuary-style policies. Back in 2013, state lawmakers opened the door for illegal aliens to secure driver’s licenses. That policy was expanded under Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022, allowing illegal aliens to obtain Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs). By 2023, state officials had issued licenses to more than a million illegal aliens since 2015. Singh was one of them.
For many Americans, the implications are chilling. At its core, this is not simply a traffic violation—it’s a failure of policy that put lives at risk. Federal authorities are making that connection clear. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin did not mince words: “Three innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom’s California Department of Motor Vehicles issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver’s License — this state of governance is asinine.” She added, “How many more innocent people must die before Gavin Newsom stops playing games with the safety of the American public? We pray for the victims and their families. Secretary Noem and DHS are working around the clock to protect the public and get these criminal illegal aliens out of America.”
Rather than accepting responsibility, Newsom’s office attempted to shift blame to the Trump administration, suggesting Singh’s license approval stemmed from decisions made years earlier. But McLaughlin swiftly pushed back. On X, she laid out the facts: “Harjinder Singh is in the United States illegally and his work authorization was rejected under the Trump Administration on September 14, 2020. It was later approved under the Biden Administration June 9, 2021. The state of California issues Commercial Driver’s Licenses. There is no national [commercial driver’s license].”
This back-and-forth underscores the broader problem. When states like California adopt sanctuary policies that blur the line between citizen and noncitizen, the consequences are not theoretical—they are real, measurable, and sometimes deadly. Instead of prioritizing public safety, these policies hand over privilege and responsibility to those who have broken the law simply by being here.
Now Singh sits in custody, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placing a detainer to ensure he does not walk free while facing vehicular homicide charges. But for the three families in Florida who lost loved ones, this case is about more than legal wrangling or political blame-shifting. It is a stark reminder of what happens when government forgets its first duty: to protect its own citizens.
This tragedy is more than a headline—it is a warning. When leaders trade common sense for political theater, it is everyday Americans who pay the price.
