Trump Administration Blasts Newsom for Deadly Crash Caused by Illegal Immigrant Trucker

President Donald Trump’s administration is placing direct blame on California Gov. Gavin Newsom after a horrific freeway crash that left three people dead — saying the tragedy was the result of California’s failure to follow new federal safety rules for commercial drivers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy condemned Newsom’s administration for what he called a “reckless disregard for federal law” and accused the governor of “passing the buck” after allowing an illegal immigrant truck driver to receive a commercial driver’s license that should have been denied.

Appearing on America Reports with Fox News host John Roberts, Duffy said the crash was entirely preventable:

“If California had complied with the secretary’s emergency rule and prevented the upgrade of this individual’s driving privileges earlier this month, he would have never been able to get behind his big rig,” the Department of Transportation said in a statement.

The driver — 21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh, an Indian national — has been charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence.

According to Duffy, the Newsom administration ignored the Department of Transportation’s emergency rule requiring states to verify the legal status of commercial driver’s license (CDL) applicants before granting them expanded driving privileges.

“Had Gavin followed our rules per DOT, this guy would have never been on the road. Three more people would be alive,” Duffy told Roberts.

“It’s nice to see Gavin tap dance in a tweet, good for him, but the truth is we do set the guidelines by which licenses can be issued. We sent that guidance out. Gavin Newsom said, I’m not going to follow it. I’m going to allow this foreigner to get an upgraded license. That was Gavin Newsom’s choice. The states issue commercial driver’s licenses. We give the guidance, they issue them. I gave the guidance. Gavin Newsom didn’t follow it. And three people are now dead because he refused to follow the rules that come from DOT.”

A Department of Transportation report released Friday confirms that California unlawfully upgraded Singh’s CDL just weeks after the federal rule took effect. The rule — enacted on September 26 — mandates that all states verify legal status before granting commercial driving privileges, specifically to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining CDLs.

The report revealed that Singh was originally issued a restricted CDL on June 27, which allowed only intrastate travel. When the emergency rule came into effect, federal officials warned California about “significant compliance failures” and gave the state 30 days to audit its CDL program. Instead, California’s DMV lifted Singh’s restrictions on October 15 — his birthday — without verifying his legal status.

“Gavin Newsom was explicitly warned California’s CDL program was dangerously broken,” the DOT report stated. “The USDOT’s emergency rule was issued to explicitly prevent drivers like Singh from getting behind the wheel of commercial motor vehicles.”

Dashcam footage from the crash shows Singh’s red semi-truck barreling into an SUV, triggering a fiery chain reaction that killed three people and injured at least four more on a California freeway.

Federal investigators later confirmed that Singh entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 through the southern border and was released by the Biden administration. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has since filed a detainer request asking local authorities to alert them before Singh’s potential release.

Duffy emphasized that this deadly crash illustrates what happens when states defy federal safety rules designed to keep unqualified and illegal drivers off the roads.

“Keep your citizens safe,” he said. “Keep foreigners off the roads, especially those who aren’t trained. Stop giving licenses illegally to people who are not in the country lawfully. Very simple stuff.”