California crash: White House slams Democrat-ruled state for issuing licenses to 'criminal illegal aliens'

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday raked up the immigration issue as she reacted to the California crash, involving Indian-origin truck driver Jashanpreet Singh. The crash led to the death of three people in the state run by the Democrats .

When asked about the matter, Leavitt accused California of handing out “criminal illegal aliens” commercial vehicle licenses. “I can confirm that California gave this individual a license, and it is something that the Department of Transportation has already looked into. I know Secretary Duffy, who is doing a phenomenal job, has spoken on this many times in the crackdown that the Department of Transportation is taking on these licenses that are being wrongfully issued to people who clearly do not deserve to uphold these positions,” Leavitt said during the White House press briefing.

“As for this case in California, on October 22, ICE lodged an immigration detainer for this individual following his arrest by local authorities in California on charges of manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence. He killed three people. And he first entered the United States in 2022 through the southern border. And he was released into our country by the previous administration. ICE has lodged a separate detainer for this individual. And these tragedies are following a disturbing pattern of these criminal illegal aliens being issued commercial vehicle licenses. The Department of Transportation is absolutely cracking down on that…,” she added.

What happened?

21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh was arrested for a horrific pile-up on a California freeway that left three people dead and several others injured earlier this week. The federal immigration officials said that Singh was an illegal immigrant from India.

The authorities also alleged that he was under the influence of drugs when he crashed his semi-truck into slow-moving traffic on the 10 Freeway in San Bernardino County on Tuesday, CBS News reported. The incident was caught on camera, and Singh was soon arrested on charges of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence.

Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have since lodged an arrest detainer — a formal request for local cops to notify the feds before he is freed. “It is a terrible tragedy three innocent people lost their lives due to the reckless open border policies that allowed an illegal alien to be released into the US and drive an 18-wheeler on America’s highways,” Homeland Security’s assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin told reporters.

As per the authorities, Singh is believed to have entered the United States back in 2022 via the country’s southern border. The immigration officials accused former US President Joe Biden’s administration of releasing him into the country.

The dash cam video circulating online showed Singh allegedly slamming his big rig into the back of an SUV – before ploughing into several other vehicles. The truck appeared to strike another semi before stopping on the side of the road. The crash led to the shutdown of all westbound lanes on the freeway for several hours as investigators worked the scene.