Immigration authorities have apprehended another undocumented immigrant truck driver in connection with a serious accident on U.S. highways. Sukhdev Singh, an Indian national living illegally in the U.S., was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in early March after a car crash that left him critically injured, as reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Singh had acquired a commercial driver’s license in New York prior to the incident in Indianapolis, Indiana.
In a statement to the DCNF, Lauren Biss, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), voiced her concerns, saying, “Common sense: illegal aliens should not be driving 18-wheelers on America’s highways. We wish this individual a full recovery.” She went on to emphasize the dangers posed by undocumented individuals who may not understand traffic laws or the English language being behind the wheel of large trucks. Biss called for authorities, like Governor Kathy Hochul, to stop issuing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants to prevent further accidents.
Singh, 25, is alleged to have struck a pedestrian along Interstate 65 while operating a semi-truck on March 6. The victim was transported to a local hospital. Following the incident, Indiana State Police, collaborating closely with ICE as mandated by state law, notified immigration officials. ICE arrived later that evening to take custody of Singh. His exact entry date into the U.S. is unclear, but he obtained a commercial driver’s license, which does not require a fixed address, from New York on January 2, 2025.
This incident adds to a concerning trend of serious or fatal accidents purportedly involving undocumented truck drivers. For instance, earlier this year, an undocumented driver was implicated in a crash that killed four members of the Amish community in Indiana, following other fatal incidents in Florida, California, and beyond.
The troubling situation led the Trump administration to take significant steps to dissociate commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) from undocumented immigrants. In September, the Department of Transportation (DOT) imposed strict regulations on non-domiciled CDLs after an audit revealed a troubling pattern of states unlawfully issuing licenses to foreign truck drivers. Subsequent regulations in February aimed to reinforce these measures by implementing a new vetting process and closing loopholes that had previously allowed individuals with poor driving histories to secure truck driving licenses.
In his State of the Union address in February, President Trump highlighted his ambition to enact Dalila’s Law, named for a young girl who suffered life-altering injuries after being hit by an undocumented truck driver in June 2024. “In June 2024, Dalila Coleman was just 5 years old when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer plowed into her stationary car at more than 90 mph,” Trump stated in his speech, attributing the driver’s illegal status to policies under the Biden administration.
Following the President’s remarks, Indiana Republican Senator Jim Banks introduced Dalila’s Act, advocating for reforms in the trucking sector. He has been pushing for greater accountability within the industry and has urged the DOT to implement measures that would allow for reporting of misconduct by trucking companies.
Data from the DOT, released in December, indicated that over 50% of non-domicile licenses issued in New York were done illegally. The Trump administration warned that it might withhold millions in federal funding from states unless they take stronger actions to address this issue.
