Florida Cracks Down on Undocumented Immigrant Employers after Deadly Crash

Strategic Insights -

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has issued subpoenas to a California-based trucking company, White Hawk Carriers, in connection with an August traffic accident that killed three people. The crash, allegedly caused by an undocumented immigrant driver, Harjinder Singh, has sparked a national controversy. Singh, who had failed an English proficiency test, was issued commercial driver's licenses in Washington state and California. In response to the incident, Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis has called for probable cause to detain drivers like Singh, while Uthmeier has urged the federal government to permanently ban California and Washington from issuing commercial driver's licenses.

Key Takeaways:

  • The August traffic accident, allegedly caused by Harjinder Singh, has led to a national investigation into White Hawk Carriers, a California-based trucking company that employed Singh.
  • Singh, an Indian national, was issued commercial driver's licenses in Washington state and California despite failing an English proficiency test, required for commercial truckers.
  • Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has issued a criminal subpoena to White Hawk Carriers, demanding production of documents detailing the citizenship status of its licensed drivers and files related to Singh.
  • The subpoena issued to White Hawk Carriers includes 27 requests, including details on the company's affiliates, Florida-licensed drivers, and records related to Singh's incident.
  • The accident has led to a freeze on visas for foreign-born truck drivers by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a federal investigation into White Hawk Carriers.
  • Singh's commercial driver's license should not have been issued due to his failure of the English Language Proficiency assessment, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Statistics:

  • 3 people were killed in the August traffic accident allegedly caused by Harjinder Singh.
  • 2 out of 12 verbal questions were answered correctly in Singh's English Language Proficiency assessment.
  • Singh accurately identified 1 out of 4 highway traffic signs in the assessment.
  • White Hawk Carriers has had 25 truck-safety violations in its last 24 inspections.
  • Singh's extradition from California to Florida was handled by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins.

Sources:

  • U.S. Department of Transportation (https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-announces-investigation-deadly-florida-truck-crash)
  • Miami Herald (https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article311752619.html)
  • Florida Phoenix (https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/08/20/jay-collins-is-headed-to-california-to-bring-back-undocumented-truck-driver/)
  • Florida Phoenix (https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/08/26/desantis-state-lacked-probable-cause-to-arrest-semi-driver-at-accident-scene/)
  • Florida Phoenix (https://floridaphoenix.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Executed-Subpoena-CF25-0470-White-Hawk.pdf)