{"id":8265,"date":"2025-10-16T18:15:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T18:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/8265\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T18:15:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T18:15:12","slug":"40m-withheld-from-ca-after-undocumented-driver-causes-fatal-crash-on-fl-turnpike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/8265\/","title":{"rendered":"$40M withheld from CA after undocumented driver causes fatal crash on FL Turnpike"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS12) \u2014 U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced on Wednesday the withholding of over $40 million <\/a>in federal transportation funds from California, citing the state’s failure to enforce federal English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards for commercial drivers.<\/p>\n

The decision follows a deadly crash on Florida\u2019s Turnpike that killed three people<\/a> and ignited conversations over immigration, licensing, and public safety.<\/p>\n

On August 12, 28-year-old Harjinder Singh, an undocumented immigrant<\/a> from India, attempted an illegal U-turn using an \u201cOfficial Use Only\u201d access point on Florida\u2019s Turnpike near Fort Pierce. His semi-truck blocked all northbound lanes, leaving a minivan with no time to brake. The resulting collision killed all three passengers<\/a>: Herby Dufresne, 30, of Florida City; Rodrigue Dor, 54, of Miami; and Faniola Joseph, 37, of Pompano Beach. <\/p>\n

VIDEO: Inside the semi: New video shows illegal U-Turn that killed 3 on Florida Turnpike<\/a><\/p>\n

Singh held a valid California commercial driver\u2019s license<\/a>, despite reportedly scoring just 2 out of 12 on an English proficiency test and speaking broken English<\/a> in a prior traffic stop in New Mexico. After the crash, he fled to California and was later extradited back to Florida <\/a>by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who personally escorted him <\/a>on a state jet.<\/p>\n

In a press conference, Secretary Duffy called the crash \u201coutrageous<\/a>,\u201d referencing the widely circulated video showing Singh\u2019s illegal maneuver. \u201cNo one in their right mind would attempt that kind of a turn,\u201d Duffy said. \u201cThree lives were lost because a driver who should never have been licensed was behind the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Department of Transportation has since revoked California\u2019s Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan for FY24 and FY25, cutting off $40.7 million in federal Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) funds. To regain access to the funding, California must adopt regulations compatible with federal ELP standards, begin conducting English assessments during roadside inspections, and place non-compliant drivers out of service.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put states on notice this summer: enforce the Trump Administration\u2019s English language requirements, or the checks stop coming. California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement. This is a fundamental safety issue that impacts you and your family on America\u2019s road,\u201d said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.<\/p>\n

See also: Failed tests, fast departure: What we’ve learned about driver in fatal Turnpike crash<\/a><\/p>\n

Florida officials, including Governor Ron DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Collins,<\/a> have blamed California Governor Gavin Newsom for creating a \u201csanctuary state\u201d that allowed Singh to obtain a CDL despite failing basic competency tests. <\/p>\n

\u201cGavin Newsom has had an open door for illegal immigration to his state,\u201d Collins said. \u201cIt has cost us lives\u2014in forms of fentanyl, illegal immigrants causing accidents like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crash has also sparked a wave of anti-immigrant and anti-Sikh rhetoric, with members of California\u2019s Sikh trucking community <\/a>reporting increased discrimination and online vitriol. Advocates warn against scapegoating entire communities for the actions of one driver.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation is conducting a nationwide audit of non-domiciled CDL holders and has vowed to crack down on states that fail to enforce federal safety standards, and the Florida Attorney General, James Uthmeier, sued California<\/a> over licenses in the deadly U-turn crash on Thursday. <\/p>\n

Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. Sign up for our newsletter<\/a> to get the day’s top headlines delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel<\/a> for the biggest stories and can’t miss video.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS12) \u2014 U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced on Wednesday the withholding of over $40…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8266,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,8153,8296,8295,8299,8298,8297,1745],"class_list":["post-8265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-english-language-proficiency","tag-fatal-crash","tag-federal-funds","tag-licensing-regulations","tag-sean-p-duffy","tag-transportation-safety","tag-undocumented-immigrant"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8265\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}