Florida officials say three people were killed on 12 August when a semi-truck driven by Harjinder Singh attempted an unauthorized U-turn across the northbound lanes of Florida’s Turnpike near Fort Pierce. A minivan traveling in the inside lane struck the trailer and was wedged beneath it, killing all three occupants. Singh, a 28-year-old Indian national who crossed the southern border illegally in 2018, obtained commercial driver’s licences in Washington state in 2023 and in California in 2024. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says his application for federal work authorisation was rejected in September 2020 but later approved in June 2021. U.S. Marshals arrested Singh in Stockton, California, on 16 August. He faces three counts of vehicular homicide and an immigration violation, and is being held on an ICE detainer. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has dispatched newly appointed Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins to California to escort the suspect back to Florida for prosecution. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has opened an investigation into both Singh and his employer, White Hawk Carriers Inc. Preliminary findings show Singh failed an English-language assessment after the crash, answering only two of 12 verbal questions correctly and identifying just one of four highway traffic signs. The probe is also examining why California and Washington issued him licences despite his immigration status and language deficiencies. The case has ignited a political dispute over state licensing policies. DeSantis and DHS officials argue that California’s practice of granting commercial licences to undocumented drivers undermines road safety, while the California Department of Motor Vehicles says it followed federal verification procedures. Duffy warned that states that flout federal rules risk losing transport funding as his department reviews wider enforcement, including checks at truck weigh stations.