An undocumented immigrant truck driver was taken into custody on Tuesday suspected of being involved in a deadly multi-vehicle accident in California and subsequently trying to escape the scene, according to federal authorities.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that Manvir Singh, an undocumented immigrant from India, caused the death of two individuals near Lodi.
Singh, facing several charges, entered the United States illegally via Arizona in 2023. He had been released by the Biden administration, as federal officials noted.
This incident marks the fourth time a truck driver with the surname Singh has been charged in connection with a fatal accident since the previous year. DHS pointed out a worrying trend involving commercial drivers from India who are in the country illegally.
Officials highlighted concerns about the safety of allowing those who do not speak English to obtain commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to operate large vehicles on American roads.
Around 12:20 p.m., Singh reportedly veered off the road and collided with a guardrail, resulting in an accident that involved three other vehicles. The California Highway Patrol later referred the case to their General Counsel.
After the crash, Singh attempted to flee the scene on foot, but officers from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office apprehended him.
DHS noted that Singh faces multiple charges, including gross negligence leading to death, hit and run resulting in bodily injury, and resisting or obstructing law enforcement.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has requested that California authorities keep Singh in federal custody.
“It is unacceptable that a criminal undocumented immigrant from India was allowed to drive a semi-truck and cause the deaths of two individuals in California,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Biss.
She further emphasized the necessity for Congress to pass Dalila’s Law, which seeks to prevent states from issuing CDLs to those who are in the country illegally. The legislation is named after Dalila Coleman, a young girl who suffered severe injuries in a crash allegedly caused by an undocumented driver in 2024.
This recent incident is just one of several involving undocumented truck drivers charged in fatal accidents, officials stated.
In April, ICE arrested a different undocumented driver who had received a CDL in California. He was indicted for killing a newlywed couple in Oregon in November 2025 and had been released from a sanctuary jurisdiction before federal agents arrested him.
Earlier this year in February, another undocumented truck driver in Pennsylvania faced charges for causing a head-on collision that killed four people.
Last December, DHS and the Department of Transportation announced that an American citizen died at the hands of a Chinese CDL holder believed to have failed an English proficiency test following a crash. That driver had entered the U.S. from Mexico in 2023.
Furthermore, in August, an undocumented immigrant named Harjinder Singh was arrested on vehicular homicide charges after allegedly attempting an illegal U-turn in a restricted area in Florida, resulting in a crash that killed three people.
