White House Flags Loopholes After California Road Crash: ‘Criminal Aliens Issued Licenses’

Following a tragic road incident in California that involved a driver alleged to be illegally residing in the United States, the White House has expressed concern about what it is calling “serious gaps” in the issuing of commercial driver licenses.

At a news brief earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that the defendant Jashanpreet Singh, who is currently facing charges for manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence, obtained on the road a California commercial driver license.

Also Read: Delhi AQI Stays ‘Poor’ To ‘Severe’ As Government Plans Artificial Rain On October 29

Leavitt stated that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has already started an investigation into how Singh was granted a license, claiming it was part of an overall effort to identify “licenses being wrongfully issued to people who clearly do not deserve to uphold these positions.”

"I can confirm that California gave this individual a license, and it is something that the Department of Transportation has already looked into. Secretary Duffy has spoken on this many times in the crackdown that the Department of Transportation is taking on these licenses that are wrongfully being issued to people who clearly do not deserve to hold these positions," she said.

According to her, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed an immigration detainer against Singh, who first arrived in the United States using the southern border in 2022, and claimed the person had been released in the country “under the previous administration.”

"As for this case in California, on October 22, ICE lodged an immigration detainer for this individual following his arrest by local authorities in California on charges of manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence. He killed three people. And he first entered the United States in 2022 through the southern border. And he was released into our country by the previous administration. ICE has lodged a separate detainer for this individual," she added.

While the particulars of how Singh was able to obtain a license remain unknown, the event has sparked greater scrutiny about how states confirm whether an individual is eligible to operate commercial vehicles.

Leavitt indicated that Transportation Secretary Michael Duffy has talked about the topic “many times” as part of a federal initiative implemented to close loopholes in the system.

Leavitt added that the administration is “absolutely cracking down” on licensing failures, describing it as unacceptable.

Also Read: Glenn Maxwell Returns As Australia Announce Changes For 3rd ODI And T20I Squad Against India

"And these tragedies are following a disturbing pattern of these criminal illegal aliens being issued commercial vehicle licenses. The Department of Transportation is absolutely cracking down on that," Leavitt added.

California road crash: What exactly happened?

A 21-year-old man from India, Jashanpreet Singh, had a dangerous truck crash that killed 3 people and injured four others on October 22. At the time of the crash, officials said Singh was allegedly under the influence of drugs. Singh, who illegally entered the United States in 2022, has been charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while under the influence.

According to police, Singh’s semi-truck barreled towards some slow-moving traffic on the I-10 Freeway in San Bernardino County and resulted in a massive blaze that resulted in three deceased and several injuries.

The crash launched a chain reaction of eight vehicles, consisting of four large trucks. ABC7 News obtained dashcam footage from Singh’s truck that shows him decking it towards a jammed vehicle before crashing into an SUV. Moments later, flames erupted and spread to multiple vehicles.

Also Read: In Joint Operation, Delhi Police Gun Down 4 Members Of Bihar’s Infamous ‘Sigma & Company’ Gang