Gov. Ron DeSantis has put the national spotlight on immigration and state licensing policies following a tragic incident on Florida's Turnpike. An undocumented truck driver, Harjinder Singh, is facing charges after a fatal crash that claimed the lives of three people. The governor used a press conference setting, at Voyager K-8 School, to direct his concerns towards Congress, as reported by CBS News Miami. DeSantis conveyed the truck driver's indifference after the crash saying, "Because if you look, we have video of this, we have photos of this, and he seemed to not like, I mean, it was almost like, you know, he's walking down the sidewalk, maybe stubbed his toe, just kind of like it was, it didn't register to him and I'm like that is really cold."
DeSantis further voiced disapproval over California's policies that allow undocumented individuals to obtain commercial driver's licenses, a stark contrast to Florida's more stringent guidelines. "In Florida, what we've said is we're not giving licenses if you're here illegally, we're not giving ID cards. In fact, you can't even do like these NGOs want to issue, we don't allow that. We don't recognize California driver's licenses. So we're creating a situation where following the laws (are) the right thing to do and violating the laws (are) the wrong thing to do. Now, California, they do it differently. They invite people to come illegally, they provide benefits," DeSantis told reporters, according to a CBS News Miami statement.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles, addressing the issue of Singh's license, stated, “The DMV followed all federal and state laws in reviewing and granting Mr. Harjinder Singh his California commercial driver's license. The federal government confirmed Mr. Singh's legal presence in the United States," as NBC Miami relayed.
Political tensions over immigration policies are now under scrutiny due to this collision. Singh, who entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in 2018, obtained his commercial driver's license in California and now faces three counts of vehicular homicide, according to officials cited by CBS News Miami. Calling on Congress to penalize sanctuary states and cities, DeSantis declared, "It can't just be like we do things right in Florida and somehow that's going to cure what's happening on the Left Coast and some of these other places. Ultimately, Congress has the power of the purse, they do not need to fund you. If you're a sanctuary state, they can remove funding from sanctuary cities. So stop subsidizing this. You have people that are in Congress that are complaining about what happened. While I appreciate the sympathy, it's like you guys have the power of the purse."
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