A California judge sentenced an illegal immigrant truck driver to four years and eight months in prison for killing three Americans in a fiery interstate collision, triggering sharp criticism from Trump administration officials who called the punishment inadequate for the fatal crash.

The Fatal Crash and Sentencing

Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old Indian national in the United States illegally, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. His semitruck plowed into slow-moving traffic on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County in October 2025, killing three people and injuring several others. Dashcam footage revealed Singh never applied the brakes before impact. San Bernardino County Superior Court handed down the sentence on Tuesday.

Federal Response and Immigration Status

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy condemned the sentence as a slap on the wrist, vowing his agency would not stop until all illegal immigrant truckers are removed from American roads. The Department of Homeland Security announced immigration officials would arrest Singh immediately upon his release to ensure he never drives in America again. Federal records show Singh crossed the southern border in California’s El Centro Sector in March 2022 and was released into the country under the Biden administration pending an immigration hearing.

Licensing Controversy

Singh obtained a California commercial driver’s license in June 2025, four months before the deadly crash. Federal officials had previously warned California about compliance issues involving commercial driver’s licenses and directed the state to pause issuing new licenses to non-citizens. The Department of Transportation stated Singh should have been disqualified under emergency federal policy, though California officials defended his eligibility based on federally approved employment authorization documents. The case has reignited debate over state licensing practices and federal immigration enforcement.

Political Fallout

Senator Mike Lee of Utah called the punishment wildly insufficient for a foreign national who killed three Americans. During California’s gubernatorial race, the controversy extended to proposed English proficiency testing for commercial drivers. Several Democratic candidates opposed mandatory English testing, arguing it was discriminatory. Former Republican candidate Sheriff Chad Bianco, who did not advance past the June primary, rejected claims of racism and emphasized accountability for lawbreaking regardless of immigration status or ethnicity.