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The Attorney General of Florida, James Uthmeier, announced that agricultural truck inspection stations across the state will also start functioning as immigration checkpoints, in coordination with federal agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), following the crash on the Florida Turnpike that claimed the lives of three people.
"States like California and Washington ignored the regulations, granting an undocumented immigrant a license to drive a 40-ton truck, and as a result, three people died," Uthmeier stated during a press conference in Live Oak, as reported by CBS Miami.
The attorney general explained that his office is investigating the actions of the so-called "sanctuary states" that issue commercial driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, which he described as a "great responsibility" for public safety.
According to a report from Fox News, Uthmeier warned that agents and companies that facilitated the driving tests could also face penalties.
The collision occurred on August 12, when Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old Indian immigrant, attempted to make a U-turn in an area restricted to authorities. His truck with a trailer blocked the road, and a minivan crashed into him, becoming lodged underneath the metal structure.
In the vehicle were Herby Dufresne, 30 years old, Rodrigue Dor, 54, and Faniloa Joseph, 37, all residents of South Florida, who died on the spot or shortly after being taken to a hospital.
Singh was arrested days later in California and faces charges of vehicular manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter.
The court documents reveal that Singh only correctly answered two out of 12 English questions and recognized one out of four traffic signs on his exam. Nevertheless, he obtained commercial driver's licenses in Washington (2023) and California (2024), according to a report by Fox News.
Immediate measures
The Agriculture Commissioner, Wilton Simpson, announced that in addition to the new controls, inspection lanes and X-ray machines will be set up at the entrances to Florida to detect trucks driven by people without legal status.
Uthmeier sent a formal letter to the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requesting the removal of California and Washington's authority under the commercial licensing program and the associated federal funds.
In the letter, dated August 25 and addressed to the Secretary of Transportation, Sean P. Duffy, Uthmeier accuses "sanctuary states" of putting citizens at risk by issuing licenses to those who do not meet basic requirements, such as speaking English or recognizing traffic signs.
“The accident that occurred last week in St. Lucie County demonstrates that no one in the United States is safe from sanctuary states”, wrote the attorney general.
In that letter, published by Uthmeier on his social media, the Florida Attorney General requests that the federal government expand the ongoing audit of business license issuance and decertify the programs in California and Washington, which would mean withdrawing federal funds to compel compliance with regulations.
"The American people deserve safe roads," the prosecutor noted, asserting that Singh, and any employer who permitted him to drive, will be held accountable in Florida "to the fullest extent of the law."
The governor Ron DeSantis also intervened in the case, holding California responsible for granting a license to the driver accused of the crash. “It’s unacceptable that we do things right in Florida and that from the west coast they send us undocumented individuals to cause tragedies,” declared the governor, according to NBC Miami.
Uthmeier's statements indicate a tightening of internal immigration controls in the state and rekindle the political confrontation between Florida and the states that maintain more open policies towards undocumented immigrants.
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