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Florida is looking into sanctuary jurisdictions that provide commercial driver licenses to illegal immigrants after an illegal immigrant truck driver allegedly caused a crash that killed three people earlier this month, state Attorney General James Uthmeier told reporters Monday.
Uthmeier spoke to reporters at a press conference alongside other law enforcement officials in response to the Aug. 12 crash involving 28-year-old illegal immigrant Harjinder Singh, and the arrest of another illegal immigrant, identified as Roberto Carlos Vergara, who was driving a commercial vehicle in Bay County on Sunday night.
“Our office is investigating both the actions of other sanctuary jurisdictions as well as the agents and companies that, you know, provided these exams or lack thereof,” Uthmeier said, referring to CDL exams that potential truck drivers must first earn before operating the vehicles.
Illegal immigrants are unable to obtain driver’s licenses in Florida, Uthmeier said, adding that sanctuary states that provide illegal immigrants with the licenses are creating a “major liability.”
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Singh is an illegal immigrant who was operating a commercial semi-truck with a trailer on the Florida Turnpike in Fort Pierce when he allegedly attempted a U-turn in an unauthorized area before the trailer jackknifed and collided with a minivan, killing all three of its passengers, according to officials. He reportedly got his CDL licenses from California and Washington State.
Uthmeier noted that Vergara, who is now under an ICE hold, had obtained his CDL license from New Jersey.
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“It’s hard to imagine a situation where somebody doesn’t speak English, can actually go through one of these exams and receive, you know, the necessary authorization,” the attorney general said. “If you can’t read street signs, how are you going to drive large commercial vehicles, 18-wheelers, tractor trailers in a safe manner?”
Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said authorities are stepping up enforcement against illegal immigrants driving commercial trucks in the state.
Some measures include adding pullover lanes along Florida’s northern border and adding X-ray machines to interdiction stations, Simpson said.
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