An Indian migrant who killed three while performing an illegal U-turn with his big rig was spared deportation after saying he was ‘scared’ of being sent home. Harjinder Singh crossed into California from Mexico in September 2018 and was promptly detained by Border Control, it was revealed after last Tuesday’s horror crash in Florida. Singh was earmarked for a fast-track deportation back to India, but managed to swerve it by claiming he had a ‘fear’ of returning to his home nation, Fox News journalist Bill Melugin first revealed.

Immigration officials accepted his claims, which gave him a case for asylum in the US under American immigration law that would be tested in court. Singh was freed on a $5,000 immigration bond in January 2019 while his case was pending, but the huge backlog of asylum claims meant he never saw a courtroom. He traveled back to California, where he was able to obtain a commercial driver’s license, though it is uncertain how.

Singh remained under the radar until August 12, when he attempted an illegal U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike near Fort Pierce. Sickening footage from the cab of the truck showed a black minivan traveling at speed slam into the trailer as Singh began to turn. All three occupants of the van were killed. Its driver – a 30 year-old man from Florida City – died after being flown to hospital by helicopter.

The passengers who also died were a 37-year-old woman from Pompano Beach and a 54-year-old man from Miami, NBC6 reported. None of their identities have been released so far. Singh faces three counts of vehicular homicide, each of which carries a jail sentence of up to 15 years, followed by automatic deportation as a felon. His actions have sparked a fresh debate about immigration, with critics saying that Singh’s victims would be alive had he been deported as originally intended.

Floridian Governor Ron DeSantis claimed Singh ‘should have never been in our country in the first place!’ in a tweet on Monday morning. However, Singh’s asylum claim was following the usual established procedure for determining whether he should be allowed to stay in the US long-term, but was delayed numerous times due to strain on the system. The Department of Homeland Security issued a detainer on him on Saturday after the crash, applying to have him deported.

After careful consideration of all factors and available records, Singh is considered a significant threat to public safety and is an exceptional circumstance warranting enforcement action due to the serious nature of his criminal history,’ it said. Footage from inside his enormous semi-truck shows the moment he casually began performing a U-turn on a highway, failing to consider other cars on the road traveling at speed. As he took up the entire highway, a minivan crashed directly into the side of the truck, unable to break quick enough to prevent the tragedy.

The area in which Singh was attempting to perform the U-turn was an ‘official use only’ pass. In the video, Singh remained calm as it became apparent the minivan had been completely demolished, with debris strewn across the highway. He peered out the driver’s side window immediately after the impact, before wordlessly putting the truck in park and turning off his engine. Moments later, Singh was caught on camera watching on as emergency services crews worked to free the mangled car from underneath the truck.

He stood with his arms slack by his side just a few steps away from rescue crews, peering at the camera as it panned to catch the devastation of the crash. ‘Three people lost their lives as a result of his recklessness, and countless friends and family members will experience the pain of their loss forever,’ Dave Kerner from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said. ‘The actions taken by the Defendant while operating a commercial tractor-trailer are both shocking and criminal. ‘Harjinder Singh is in custody on state vehicular homicide charges and immigration violations. ‘He will no longer be able to damage and destroy the lives of Floridians and visitors.’