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A truck driver, who is in the U.S. illegally, was taken into custody on Tuesday following a horrific multi-vehicle accident in California that allegedly resulted in two fatalities. After the incident, the driver attempted to escape, according to federal authorities.
Identified as Manvir Singh, an unauthorized immigrant from India, he was accused by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of causing the deaths near Lodi, California.
Singh is facing several charges. Reports indicate that he entered the United States illegally through Arizona in 2023 and was subsequently released under the current administration, as federal officials shared with Fox News.
His detention is the fourth instance in the past year of a truck driver with the surname “Singh,” who entered the country illegally, being involved in a fatal crash, according to the DHS. Officials pointed to this as part of a concerning trend involving undocumented commercial drivers from India.
Federal authorities criticized the practice of allowing undocumented immigrants, many of whom lack English proficiency, to acquire commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to operate large trucks and transport hazardous materials across U.S. roads, calling it an “incredibly dangerous” threat to public safety.
Around 12:20 p.m., Singh reportedly skidded off a road and struck a guardrail, triggering a crash involving three other vehicles, according to Legal Advocate, citing the California Highway Patrol.
He then attempted to flee the wreckage on foot before officials with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office were able to apprehend him, officials said.
Singh faces multiple charges, including vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, hit-and-run resulting in death or injury and resisting or obstructing a police officer, DHS said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also lodged a detainer request, asking California authorities to hold the suspect for transfer into federal custody.
“This criminal illegal alien from India should never have been behind the wheel of a semi-truck and allowed to kill two innocent people in a multi-vehicle crash in California,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said.
“This is yet another example of why illegal aliens should not be operating trucks on American highways. We need Congress to pass Dalilah’s Law to prohibit states from granting illegal aliens commercial driver’s licenses.”
Dalilah’s Law is a proposed federal measure that would bar states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.
It is named after Dalilah Coleman, a young girl who suffered life-changing injuries in a 2024 crash in California allegedly caused by an illegal immigrant driver.
Tuesday’s crash marks just one of several recent incidents involving illegal immigrant truck drivers accused of deadly crashes, officials said.
In April, ICE arrested an illegal immigrant truck driver who was issued a CDL in California. He was accused of killing a newly married couple in Oregon on Nov. 24, 2025.
Authorities said he was initially released from jail in a sanctuary jurisdiction before later being arrested by federal agents.
In February, another illegal immigrant truck driver in Pennsylvania was accused of killing four people on Feb. 3 after swerving into oncoming traffic and striking a van head-on.
Last December, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) said an American was killed by a Chinese national and CDL holder who allegedly failed an English proficiency test after the crash.
DHS said the driver entered the United States from Mexico in 2023.
In August, illegal immigrant Harjinder Singh was arrested on three counts of vehicular homicide after allegedly attempting an illegal U-turn through an “Official Use Only” access point in St. Lucie County, Florida.
Authorities said the reckless maneuver blocked all lanes of traffic, causing a crash that killed three people.