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The Washington State Department of Licensing is investigating how an illegal immigrant obtained a commercial driver’s license, as questions loom following a deadly crash in Florida that killed three people last Tuesday.
The case has reignited debate over state licensing loopholes and immigration enforcement, raising questions about how noncitizens without legal status can still obtain commercial driver’s licenses.
“The Department of Licensing is investigating the 2023 issuance of Mr. Singh’s prior commercial driver license. I don’t at this time have a timeline on when the investigation will be completed, nor what we can release,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital in an email on Thursday.
The suspect, Harjinder Singh, entered the United States illegally in 2018 at the southern border, but he was denied authorization to work by the first Trump administration in 2020. Still, he was able to get a commercial driver’s license in California, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
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In addition, he also got a commercial driver’s license in July 2023 in the state of Washington, which is against the law there, according to the Department of Transportation.
The driver allegedly made a U-turn in an area on the Florida Turnpike where such a turn was prohibited, causing his truck to crash with a minivan, killing three people. In addition, he failed an English proficiency assessment and a road sign test done by federal investigators.
“During [Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s] interview with the driver, investigators administered an English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessment in accordance with FMCSA guidance,” DOT said in a statement. “The driver failed the assessment, providing correct responses to just 2 of 12 verbal questions and only accurately identifying 1 of 4 highway traffic signs.”
The California Department of Motor Vehicles has not responded to requests for comment on the issuance of the license. However, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office got into an exchange on X.com with DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin about the details of how he got a work permit.
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“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,” Newsom’s press office posted earlier this week.
“False. 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 Drivers Licenses. There is no national CDL. Sincerely, Genius,” McLaughlin replied.
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Singh was extradited to Florida from California on Thursday. There’s been concerns in other states about illegal immigrants being issued standard driver’s licenses as well, including allegations from a whistleblower in Kentucky alleging that people would pay under the table to obtain the licenses illegally.
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Lora Ries, director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday about how Singh’s case could happen in the first place.
“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.
“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,” the expert continued.
Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.
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