By Thomas Stevenson – The Postmillennial
The illegal immigrant truck driver who has been charged with vehicular homicide in the deaths of three people in Florida has been revealed to have crossed the US border illegally into California in September 2018 and was given a commercial driving license by California under the state’s sanctuary laws.
Harjinder Singh was driving a semi-truck on the highway when he made a U-turn from the right lane to go through an “official use only” turnaround spot on the Florida Turnpike. This was despite there being a minivan driving in the left lane. The minivan was not able to slow down in time for impact and crashed into the semi.
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin reported that when Singh attempted to cross the border in 2018, he was arrested by Border Patrol and was processed for expedited removal. He claimed that he was afraid of returning to his country, which was affirmed, and he was released on $5,000 immigration bond in January 2019.
“According to Singh, he has no serious physical or mental medical conditions. Singh claims to have 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. Singh claims to not be married and has no minor dependent children. Singh is not a victim of domestic violence in the United States or human trafficking. 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. ERO San Francisco is seeking HRO’s approval to place Singh in removal proceedings,” DHS said in a statement.
Two passengers who were in the minivan died at the scene. The driver of the minivan, a 30-year-old man, died later. The passengers who died at the scene were identified as a 37-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man.
“The actions taken by the Defendant while operating a commercial tractor-trailer are both shocking and criminal,” said Dave Kerner, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. “Three people lost their lives as a result of his recklessness, and countless friends and family members will experience the pain of their loss forever. Harjinder Singh is in custody on state vehicular homicide charges and immigration violations. He will no longer be able to damage and destroy the lives of Floridians and visitors.”