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Why California crash could spur backlash against Sikh truckers in US again
Following the truck crash, US department of homeland security said that Jashanpreet Singh is an illegal immigrant.
Jashanpreet Singh, an Indian-origin truck driver, was arrested for a truck crash on California’s 10 Freeway in Ontario on October 21 which left three people dead and four injured. According to the toxicology test reports, the 21-year-old Punjabi Sikh driver was allegedly under the influence of a banned substance at the time of the crash.
The dashcam footage of the incident reveals that Jashanpreet Singh’s semi-truck rammed into slow-moving traffic in San Bernardino county, with the video making it evident that the driver had failed to apply brakes and lost control of the vehicle.
Following the accident, US department of homeland security said that Jashanpreet is an illegal immigrant and was caught and released at the California border by the Joe Biden administration in March 2022.
The incident renewed scrutiny over federal immigration and trucking regulations. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that states had been put on notice earlier this summer to “enforce the Trump Administration’s English language requirements or the checks stop coming.”
“California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement. This is a fundamental safety issue that impacts you and your family on America’s road,” Duffy added.
Duffy's remarks came days after the Trump administration said it would withhold $40 million in federal highway safety funding from California for failing to comply with English proficiency standards for truck drivers.
Florida crash led to backlash fears among Sikh community
The recent incident comes close on the heels of a crash in Florida. On August 12, truck driver Harjinder Singh, also of Indian, Punjabi and Sikh origin, made a U-turn on the Florida Turnpike which, authorities said, caused a crash that killed three people, according to the Associated Press.
Following the August crash, members of California's Sikh community said that anti-Sikh rhetoric had spiked, AP reported.
The crash had also spurred online vitriol against members of the community, who often desire high-paying trucking jobs in the US which allow Sikh men to wear beards, uncut hair and turbans, according to the AP report.
Prahb Singh, a truck driver in Riverside, California, said the crash had led to “a lot of negative comments online.” “People are saying: ‘Take the towel heads off the streets’ and ’Make our roads safe by taking immigrants off the street,” Prahb, who emigrated from India when he was 8, said. He added that the “mistake” had been made by the driver and not the whole community.
Harsimran Singh, CEO of Gillson Trucking in Stockton, California, also said that by the way the case was handled, “many, many people in my community fear for their future in this country.”
“This is a tragedy; it was an accident, and every Punjabi, every Sikh, feels for the victims’ family,” Harsimran told AP.
