The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is investigating "illegal trucker" Manvir Singh after the driver tried to flee a crash that killed two near Lodi, California, according to authorities.
The Department of Homeland Security is calling on California Governor Gavin Newsom and "Sanctuary Politicians" to not release Singh.
California, a "sanctuary state," limits the extent to which law enforcement can cooperate with federal immigration proceedings. Only under limited circumstances can state officials hand over a suspect to ICE under the California Values Act of 2017.
The aftermath of the May 19 crash, which Singh tried to flee on foot, according to reports, before being apprehended.DHS
The release cited local news saying Singh drove a "semi-truck that veered off the road and hit a guardrail, triggering a crash that involved three other vehicles and instantly killed two people. Singh tried to flee on foot before he was apprehended by police"
Singh now faces charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, hit and run resulting in death or injury, and obstructing/resisting a police officer, according to local media.
DHS said Singh came into the country illegally in Arizona in July of 2023 and was released by the Biden Administration.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Singh held a California CDL issued in March 2025.
FMCSA "investigators are looking into how this illegal got his CDL and will investigate the trucking company who employed this driver," Duffy wrote on Twitter.
Past FMCSA investigations into crashes caused by non-domiciled CDL drivers have resulted in expedited shutdowns of fleets, but those cases involved "chameleon carriers," and it's unclear if that was the case with Singh's company.
[Related: C.H. Robinson gave thousands of loads to double-brokering chameleon carrier: Court docs]
California and DOT have long clashed over trucking and immigration issues, with the California Highway Patrol refusing to enforce English language proficiency as an out-of-service violation until December 2025. That's despite an executive order from President Donald Trump reinstating ELP as an OOS violation in June, and persistent pressure from Duffy's DOT.
California was called out by DOT for issuing around 20,000 CDLs to non-citizens out of compliance with federal regs, and the state fought to keep those licenses in play for so long that it lost federal funding.
In total, the state's ELP and CDL issues cost it $200 million in funding from DOT.
[Related: California capitulation: CHP finally enforcing English language proficiency roadside]
Overdrive asked California Highway Patrol if Singh was still in custody or had been released, either to federal authorities or otherwise. It's not CHP's choice, according to a spokesperson.
CHP's "role in this case is limited to the criminal investigation and arrest," the spokesperson said. "If a federal detainer has been issued, decisions regarding those administrative requests are handled by the custodial agency in accordance with federal and state laws, local policy and any applicable court orders."
Duffy and DHS used the occasion to express support for Dalilah's Law, which Duffy said "would have revoked this illegal trucker’s license."
Duffy also pointed to FMCSA's February Final Rule almost completely banning non-domiciled CDL issuance in the U.S.
DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said Singh's case was "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.”
DHS in its press release provided the following list of other crashes caused by "illegal aliens." (Links in the list go to DHS press releases, unless otherwise noted.)
- In April, ICE arrested an illegal alien semi-truck driver issued a CDL by California who killed a pair of honeymooners on November 24, 2025, in Oregon. Sanctuary politicians in Oregon refused to cooperate with ICE and released him back onto the streets before ICE arrested him.
- In February, ICE arrested an illegal alien semi-truck driver issued a CDL by Pennsylvania who killed four innocent people on February 3, when he swerved into oncoming traffic and struck a van in head-on collision.
- In December, DHS and the Department of Transportation announced that an American was tragically killed due to a Chinese national with a CDL who failed the English proficiency test after the crash. DHS has now confirmed the driver investigators say caused the crash illegally entered the United States from Mexico in 2023.
- In August, DHS announced ICE lodged an arrest detainer for criminal illegal alien Harjinder Singh following his arrest for three counts of vehicular homicide. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, on August 12, 2025, Harjinder Singh attempted to make an illegal U-turn through an “Official Use Only” access point in St. Lucie County. By blocking all lanes of the highway with his truck, Singh caused a brutal wreck, instantly killing three innocent people.
