Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old Indian national who federal authorities say was in the United States illegally, was sentenced on Tuesday, July 15, 2026, to four years and eight months in prison. Singh pleaded guilty to three felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence related to a crash in October 2025 on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County, California.

Authorities reported that Singh's semitruck plowed into slow-moving traffic, killing three people and injuring several others. Dashcam footage showed Singh never applied the brakes before the collision.

Singh crossed the southern border in California’s El Centro Sector in March 2022 and was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration pending an immigration hearing, according to federal sources.

The sentencing has sparked outrage among Trump administration officials and conservatives, who criticized the sentence as a "slap on the wrist." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated his agency will continue efforts "until ALL illegal alien truckers are put out of business and held accountable." The Department of Homeland Security said immigration officials are prepared to arrest Singh upon his release to prevent him from returning to the roads.

Fox News Digital reported that Singh should have been disqualified under an emergency Department of Transportation policy, though California officials said his eligibility was based on federally approved employment authorization documents.

The crash and sentencing have intensified debates over immigration enforcement and commercial driver licensing policies. Democrat megadonor Tom Steyer commented that targeting individuals based on skin color is illegal in California, responding to questions about language proficiency tests for truck drivers.

Jashanpreet Singh
Jashanpreet Singh was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to causing a Southern California crash that killed three people. (San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office High Tech Crimes Unit via AP; Will Lester/MediaNews Group/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty Images)