By Aldgra Fredly
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Oct. 26 that he would pull $160 million in federal funds from California, citing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s refusal to halt issuance of commercial driver’s licenses to noncitizens.
In an interview with Fox News, Duffy said that Newsom has refused to comply with the Transportation Department’s (DOT’s) emergency rules requiring the state to stop issuing commercial driver’s licenses to non-domiciled drivers and to review those already granted to ensure they were issued lawfully.
The department took emergency action in September following a fatal crash in Florida on Aug. 12 that involved a semi-truck driver who illegally entered the United States in 2018 through the southern border. The driver, identified as Harjinder Singh, obtained a commercial driver’s license in California.
“So, one, I’m about to pull $160 million from California,” Duffy said. “And as we pull more money, we also have the option of pulling California’s ability to issue commercial driver’s licenses.”
Duffy had previously warned that California could lose its ability to issue commercial driver’s licenses and risk losing more funding if it failed to comply with the DOT rules.
The federal government has already withheld more than $40 million in funding from California after an investigation found the state had not met federal English-language proficiency standards for truck drivers.
Eva Spiegel, a spokesperson for the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), said on Oct. 26 that the DOT has no legal grounds to withhold highway transportation funds and said that the state had complied with federal regulation.
“The federal government previously allowed commercial driver’s licenses for asylum seekers and refugees and on September 26 announced emergency regulations to cease this practice that went into effect on September 29,” Spiegel said. “California is in compliance with these regulations and will remain in compliance with federal law.”
The Epoch Times was unable to reach Newsom’s office for comment by publication time.
On Oct. 24, Duffy issued what he called a “bombshell report,” which said that California unlawfully upgraded a noncitizen driver’s commercial license on Oct. 15 in violation of emergency rules that took effect on Sept. 26.
The driver, Jashanpreet Singh, an Indian national and illegal immigrant, was arrested on Oct. 21 after his semi-truck crashed into multiple vehicles on the 10 freeway in Southern California. Three people were killed in the accident, and several others were injured.
Singh was accused of killing three people while driving under the influence of drugs. Federal immigration authorities filed an arrest order for him on Oct. 23.
Singh entered the United States illegally in 2022 through the southern border, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The report states that Singh was issued a restricted commercial driver’s license on June 27, which limited him to intrastate operations. On Sept. 26, Duffy alerted California to “significant compliance failures” related to the issuance of commercial driver’s licenses and directed the state to pause issuance of such licenses to non-domiciled drivers.
The report stated that California lifted Singh’s license restrictions on Oct. 15, the day when Singh turned 21 years old, without applying the stricter standards mandated under the emergency rule.
“It would have never happened if Gavin Newsom had followed our new rules,” Dufffy said in an Oct. 24 statement. “California broke the law and now three people are dead and two are hospitalized.”
The Epoch Times was unable to reach Jashanpreet Singh’s lawyer for comment by publication time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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