Florida: Indian-Origin driver Harjinder Singh, who was involved in an accident in which three people were killed earlier this month, was taken to Florida to face charges. Singh was escorted off a plane by Florida Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins on Thursday (local time).
Singh was held at the San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp, California's Central Valley, after the deadly crash. On Wednesday, Collins flew to California to pick up Singh. Collins and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials guided Singh onto a plane at the Stockton airport.
When the driver was escorted off the plane, his was handcuffed. According to reports, Singh entered the United States illegally in 2018. However, California Governor Gavin Newsom said that the move by Florida is for "show".
"Florida let a murder suspect walk. California arrested him. Now, Florida wants a photo-op picking him up," a spokesperson for Newsom's office said as reported by CBS News. Newsom's office also highlighted California's sanctuary law, SB-54. As per this law, local police is not allowed to hand over people to immigration authorities if they do not have a criminal history.
Meanwhile, the US has immediately stopped issuing visas for truck drivers. The announcement in this regard was made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday. The decision was taken in the backdrop of the deadly crash in Florida, involving Singh.
"Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers," Rubio wrote on X.
"The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers," he wrote.
About The Florida Crash:
At least three people were killed as Singh, who was driving a semi-truck-trailer, took an illegal U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike on August 12. At the time of the incident, there was another person sitting alongside Singh. The semi-truck was reportedly driving northbound in the right lane of the Turnpike, and the minivan was traveling north in the Turnpike's left lane.
According to reports, the large vehicle was in the outside lane. The driver of the vehicle attempted a U-turn into an “official use only” area. The incident took place as the semi tractor-trailer crossed “over all northbound travel lanes" and then tried to take a U-turn. The minivan, which was in the inside lane, was “unable to avoid” it and collided with the semi tractor-trailer.
Among the deceased were a 30-year-old Florida City man, a 37-year-old woman from Pompano Beach, and a 54-year-old man from Miami, local media reports.
