A high-profile truck crash that killed three people in Florida has prompted the state to file a complaint in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier contends that “sanctuary” laws in California and Washington have led to unqualified individuals receiving CDLs and operating in other states. State sanctuary policies limit local authorities’ ability to enforce immigration laws.
On Aug. 12 in St. Lucie County, Fla., a minivan crashed into a tractor-trailer driven by 28-year-old Harjinder Singh. The initial investigation indicated that Singh executed an illegal U-turn that led to the crash. Singh was arrested for three counts of vehicular homicide. Department of Transportation officials said the agency’s preliminary investigation found that Singh was incorrectly issued a full-term CDL by Washington in 2023 before being given a non-domiciled CDL by California in 2024. Additionally, FMCSA officials reported that Singh failed an English-proficiency assessment following the crash.
Florida’s complaint to the Supreme Court issued on Thursday, Oct. 16 says that the open defiance of federal immigration laws exhibited by California and Washington is well-documented and has led to “mayhem” in other states.
For instance, Florida told the court that California and Washington share some of the responsibility for the crash, as Singh shouldn’t have been operating a commercial motor vehicle in the first place.
“State and federal investigations quickly revealed that the illegal immigrant does not speak English,” Florida wrote in the complaint. “He was able to answer only two of 12 questions correctly on an English-proficiency test and identify only one of four traffic signals. Under current federal law, this driver should have never received a license from any state to operate a commercial motor vehicle. But California and Washington nevertheless licensed him. Washington improperly issued this illegal immigrant a CDL in 2023, after 13 failed examinations. California issued him a non-domiciled CDL the following year.”
Florida asked the Supreme Court to:
- Issue a declaratory judgment that California’s and Washington’s sanctuary laws, to the extent that the laws prohibit agencies administering CDL programs from inquiring into or collecting information about an applicant’s immigration status, are preempted.
- Issue a declaratory judgment that California’s and Washington’s failure to enforce proper safety and immigration-status standards is a public nuisance.
- Issue preliminary and permanent injunctions ordering California and Washington and their agents to cease the issuance of commercial learner’s permits and CDLs to applicants who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
- Issue preliminary and permanent injunctions ordering California and Washington to cease the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs to applicants who do not meet the requirements.
- Order that California and Washington pay Florida’s costs and expenses associated with this legal action, including attorney’s fees.
- Grant such other relief as the court deems just and proper.
California and Washington didn’t immediately issue comments regarding the complaint.
However, California has continued to push back against allegations that the state’s CDL practices have been unsafe.
Earlier this week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will withhold about $40.7 million from California for not complying with the agency’s English-proficiency standards.
The X account of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office responded by saying that California CDL holders had a fatal crash rate nearly 40% lower than the national average.
Additionally, Newsom included California’s letter to the DOT sent on Sept. 25.
“California has complied and will continue to comply with applicable federal laws and regulations,” the letter stated. “Accordingly, California has met the qualifying conditions for Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program funding.” LL
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