Expert reveals how illegal immigrant trucker may have gotten commercial license before fatal Florida crash

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Questions are looming over how the illegal immigrant who killed three in a Florida truck crash obtained his commercial driver's license.

Harjinder Singh is the suspect in the Fort Pierce crash, and officials have said that he did not pass English and road tests, according to officials.

Singh, who entered the United States illegally, was given a full-term commercial driver's license in Washington in July 2023, despite not legally being allowed to, and was given a limited-term commercial driver's license in California in 2024, and the Department of Transportation is looking into if it complied with federal regulations.  

Lora Ries, Director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, explained how this could have happened in the first place.

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"Just as states issue driver's licenses, they also issue commercial driver's licenses (CDLs). States are not supposed to issue CDLs to a person unless they are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (green card holder). There seems to be a loophole for a state to issue a CDL to someone who is merely authorized to work in the U.S.," Ries explained in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

"Note that the Trump (45) Administration denied Harjinder Singh's application for work authorization, but the Biden Administration later granted his request. That could be enough to exploit this CDL loophole in a willing state," she continued.

Ries also made some suggestions, including moves that could be made at the federal level to prevent further tragedies.

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"First, the federal government should close this loophole under its interstate commerce clause and federal immigration authority. Second, DHS should not issue work authorization unless and until the underlying immigration benefit application (such as asylum) is granted, not merely filed. Too many fraudulent immigration benefit applications are filed solely to obtain work authorization. Making such authorization contingent on the underlying benefit being granted would significantly reduce benefit fraud and shrink the application backlogs," Ries added.

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Several states, such as California and Minnesota, do allow people in the country illegally to drive in some cases, but it's usually much harder when it comes to obtaining a commercial license.

A debate went down on X earlier this week between California Gov. Gavin Newsom's press office and the Department of Homeland Security on how the work permit issue unfolded.

"Why don't you ask Trump about the driver's federally issued work permit and when he entered this country?," a Newsom spokesperson said in a statement. "Spoiler alert: it was in 2018 under Trump - whoops. He would have been eligible in any state. California followed federal law, something the President knows nothing about."

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCK DRIVER ACCUSED IN DEADLY FLORIDA CRASH GOT BIDEN WORK PERMIT AFTER TRUMP DENIAL: DHS

"In fact, the driver in this case was reissued an Employment Authorization (work permit) on 4/9/2025 and, if my math is correct, that falls within the current presidential term," the statement continued. 

"3 innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom's California DMV issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver's License," she wrote Monday on X. "This gut wrenching tragedy should have never happened. My team at @DHSgov will work with @USDOT to root out and prevent illegal aliens from obtaining these licenses from sanctuary jurisdictions that put American drivers and passengers in danger."

In addition, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin and Newsom's press office had an exchange on X on Monday about the timeline.

"Hey, genius: the federal government (TRUMP ADMIN) already confirmed that this guy meets federal and state immigration requirements -- YOU issued him a work permit (EAD). As usual, the Trump Administration is either lying or clueless. p.s. [grok], who was President in 2018?" Newsom's office tweeted in a response to McLaughlin.

"False. Harjinder Singh is in the United States illegally and his work authorization was rejected under the Trump Administration on September 14, 2020," McLaughlin replied. "It was later approved under the Biden Administration June 9, 2021. The state of California issues Commercial Driver's Licenses. There is no national CDL," McLaughlin replied.

Fox News Digital reached out to the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Attorney General's office for comment.