DHS alleges truck driver in double-fatality California crash was present in U.S. illegally
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused a truck driver involved in a fatal crash in California this week of having entered the U.S. illegally in 2023.
The crash occurred on May 19, 2026, on northbound Highway 99 in Lodi, California.
Around 12:20 p.m, a Toyota Camry, a Nissan Frontier, and a Kia Forte were slowing to a complete stop in the far right lane of the highway. A Freightliner Cascadia driven by Manvir Singh, 24, reportedly failed to stop for the slowed traffic, striking a guardrail and the Kia Forte, causing a chain-reaction crash involving the Toyota Camry and the Nissan Frontier.
DHS said that Singh fled on foot after the crash and was later apprehended by police.
The two people in the Kia Forte, a 16-year old male and a 20-year old male, died at the scene.
Five others were hospitalized, including two people who suffered major injuries.
Singh has since been charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, hit and run resulting in death or injury, and obstructing/resisting a police officer.
Following the crash, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer for Singh.
On May 21, DHS released a statement on Singh’s immigration status, stating that he is an Indian national came into the country illegally in Arizona in July of 2023.
“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,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “He is now charged with vehicular manslaughter, hit and run resulting in death or injury, and resisting a police officer. 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 named for Dalilah Coleman, a child injured in a pileup crash involving truck driver Partap Singh, who was issued a CDL by California. Singh was later arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after officials determined he was present in the U.S. illegally.
Dalilah’s Law would tighten CDL standards by codifying English Language Proficiency rules for commercial vehicle drivers and ensuring that CDLs are not issued to individuals present in the U.S. illegally.