A highway crash in California has resulted in three fatalities. The incident brought to the fore the longstanding issue of immigration.
It reportedly involved a 21-year-old truck driver from India. Identified as an undocumented immigrant, he is accused of causing the collision.
The White House press secretary called it a “disturbing pattern” of criminal illegal aliens being granted Commercial Driver’s Licences (CDLs).
Vibes of India has reported extensively on India’s America obsession and how scores of gullible people walk into a trap. Either they are misled by scrupulous agents, exhaust a lifetime of savings to get there, and in many cases even lose their lives. And, as the latest episode claims, they end up taking others’ lives too even though it was an accident.
Indians continue to form a significant portion of unauthorised entrants to the US. In the first five months of 2025, around 10,382 Indian nationals, including at least 30 unaccompanied minors and many from Gujarat, were apprehended at the US border.
A report states that for deportations of Indian nationals from the US between January 20 and July 22, 2025: 620 individuals were from Punjab, 604 from Haryana, and 245 from Gujarat.
Furthermore, 66% of asylum petitions filed by Indian nationals over the past two decades were by Punjabi‐speakers; Gujarati speakers made up about 8%.
Reports cited the American Trucking Associations saying that immigrants account for nearly one in five long-haul truck drivers in the US.
Moving on to the highway crash, the press secretary asserted that California had issued a CDL to the individual, who allegedly drove under the influence and triggered a pile-up on Interstate 10 earlier in the week. She noted that the Department of Transportation (DoT) is investigating how the licence was granted, and that the Secretary has been taking action against licences being wrongfully issued to people “who clearly should not hold such positions”.
She further said that on October 22, the immigration authorities lodged a detainer for the individual following his arrest in California on charges of manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence. She pointed out that he entered the United States in 2022 via the southern border, had been released under the previous administration’s policies, and that the DoT is absolutely cracking down on the trend of criminal illegal aliens being issued commercial vehicle licences.
Federal officials confirmed that the driver entered the US illegally three years ago and was released pending an immigration hearing under the “alternatives to detention” policy of the current administration. He has now been charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence causing injury, and an immigration detainer has been lodged against him.
Dash-cam footage from the collision showed his semi-truck striking multiple vehicles on the I-10 in San Bernardino County, killing three people and injuring four others. Investigators say he was impaired and did not hit the brakes before impact.
The Department of Homeland Security said the case reflects a wider safety concern involving commercial drivers who lack proper immigration status or sufficient English proficiency.
The Transportation Secretary criticised California’s licensing policies, arguing that the state’s failure to enforce federal English-language requirements for truck drivers has created safety risks. He announced that the federal government will withhold $40 million in highway safety funds from California for non-compliance.
California officials, however, countered that the driver’s federal work authorisation had been approved multiple times by the US government, which under existing law allowed him to legally obtain a commercial licence.
The California crash follows another high-profile incident in Florida, involving an Indian national who entered the US illegally in 2018 and was charged in August after a truck crash that killed three people. Both cases have revived debate over immigration enforcement, licensing procedures and road-safety standards within the trucking industry.
Also Read: Around The UK, US In Five Months: Deported Man Takes Illegal Immigration To New Level https://www.vibesofindia.com/around-the-uk-us-in-five-months-deported-man-takes-illegal-immigration-to-new-level/
