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The Indian illegal immigrant truck driver accused of causing a crash that killed three people in Florida crossed into the U.S. through California in 2018, and was arrested by Border Patrol two days later.
Harjinder Singh, 28, faces deportation and three counts of homicide – negligent manslaughter/vehicle following the incident on the Florida Turnpike in Fort Pierce on Tuesday. Following his arrest on Sept. 20, 2018, near San Ysidro, California, “he has been pending immigrant proceedings since,” a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) statement to Fox News said.
While operating a commercial semi-truck with a trailer, Singh allegedly attempted an illegal U-turn while driving on the highway. This resulted in the trailer jackknifing and colliding with a minivan — leaving all three of the minivan’s passengers dead, according to officials.
“Three innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom’s California DMV issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver’s License—this state of governance is asinine,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News.
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
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“How many more innocent people have to 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,” the statement concluded.
DHS said that Singh had initially been processed for expedited removal in 2018, but after claiming fear of returning to his home country – a fear that was affirmed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, he was released on a $5,000 immigration bond.
DHS says Singh has said he does not have a serious physical or mental medical condition, has “no known immediate relatives serving in the U.S. military and is not the primary caretaker of a person with mental or physical disability, a minor or person with a serious illness.”
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He has also claimed to not be married, has no minor dependent children and is not a victim of domestic violence in the U.S. or human trafficking, according to DHS.
“After careful consideration of all factors and available records, Singh is considered a significant threat to public safety and is an exceptional circumstance warranting enforcement action due to the serious nature of his criminal history,” DHS said.
The crash is being investigated by the Florida State Highway Patrol, and troopers have issued an ICE detainer for Singh.
“The actions taken by the Defendant while operating a commercial tractor-trailer are both shocking and criminal,” Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner said in a statement. Noting that Singh is in custody on vehicular homicide charges as well as immigration violations, Kerner added that Singh “will no longer be able to damage and destroy the lives of Floridians and visitors.”
“At the conclusion of his state charges, he will be deported,” Kerner said.
Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton contributed to this report.
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