New bodycam footage of a migrant truck driver speaking to police during a traffic stop weeks before he was accused of killing three people has raised questions about his English language proficiency.
Harjinder Singh, 28, was charged with three state counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations after the fatal August 12 crash on the Florida Turnpike.
The trailer of his semi–truck collided with a minivan as he made an illegal U-turn, killing all three people inside the vehicle. Singh and the passenger in his truck were uninjured.
There has been much speculation over how well Singh, a native of India, speaks and understands English after the Department of Homeland Security confirmed he failed an English Language Proficiency assessment.
Singh only correctly answered two out of 12 verbal questions and only accurately identified one out of four highway traffic signs, DHS alleges. He also used a translator during his court appearance.
But the emergence of video of Singh speaking with a New Mexico state trooper on July 3 after he was pulled over for speeding has sparked new controversy as it appears the migrant understood the conversation.
The officer asked Singh if he wanted to appear before the court or pay the fine for the traffic violation, to which the trucker responded ‘pay the fine’.
Singh told the officer that he had ‘no tickets’ before the incident. The trooper said ‘I hate to be the first guy to write you a ticket,’ prompting a slight smile from the trucker.
‘Full name, sir?’ Singh asked as he filled out paperwork. The officer confirmed ‘yes’.
Harjinder Singh, 28, was pulled over by New Mexico state trooper on July 3 after he was caught speeding. Newly released bodycam footage of the traffic stop has raised questions about the migrant truck driver’s English language proficiency
Singh, pictured during the July 3 traffic stop, had a full conversation with the trooper, answering the officer’s questions and even raising some of his own
‘This is the one you’ll take care of within 30 days,’ the trooper said as he handed Singh his traffic ticket.
The officer pointed to a section on the form, adding: ‘Just choose one of those options right there.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ Singh replied.
‘You’re welcome,’ the officer said before handing the driver another form. ‘This right here is your inspection.’
‘Ok, thank you, sir,’ Singh said again.
Before he headed back to his vehicle, Singh asked the officer a question in broken English that the trooper said he did not understand.
Singh tried again: ‘I mean this my ticket and… my license, how many year?’
The officer explained that a moving violation could stay on his license for several years, with the specific number varying by state.
‘Ok,’ Singh answered, suggesting he understood the remark. The officer then said ‘have a good one’ as he returned to his cruiser.
Singh, a native of India, is accused of causing the fatal crash in Fort Pierce after he made an illegal U–turn in an unauthorized area of the Florida Turnpike. Pictured: The aftermath of the crash
Harjinder Singh (right) is seen inside the truck moments before the crash that killed three people
The fatal crash in Florida, which occurred more than a month after Singh’s traffic violation in New Mexico, sparked a clash between DHS and California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The Trump administration says Singh entered the US illegally from Mexico in 2018 and later obtained a commercial driver’s license in California.
Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin hit out at Newsom, saying issuing a commercial license to someone in the country illegally is ‘asinine.’
Newsom’s press office responded on platform X that Singh obtained a work permit while Donald Trump was president, which McLaughlin disputed.
California is one of 19 states, in addition to the District of Columbia, that issues licenses regardless of immigration status. Supporters say that lets people work, visit doctors and travel safely.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Tuesday threatened to pull federal funding from Washington, California and New Mexico if they continue to fail to enforce English language requirements for truckers.
An investigation launched after Singh’s deadly August 12 crash found what Duffy called significant failures in the way all three states are enforcing rules that took effect in June after one of Trump’s executive orders.
He said the department was also already reviewing states’ enforcement before the crash.
Harjinder Singh (pictured in court on August 19) allegedly killed three people in a horrific highway crash
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dispatched Lt. Gov. Jay Collins to California to escort Singh onto an airplane on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025
ICE officers and Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins escort Harjinder Singh toward a waiting plane at Stockton Metropolitan Airport for his extradition to Florida
Truckers are supposed to be disqualified if they can’t demonstrate English proficiency, and Duffy said the driver involved in the crash should not have been given a commercial driver’s license because of his immigration status.
The crash has become increasingly political, with the governors of California and Florida criticizing each other and Duffy highlighting the administration’s immigration concerns in interviews.
But Duffy said it is a safety issue – not a political one – because truckers need to be able to tell law enforcement what they are hauling if they are pulled over or what happened if there is an accident.
‘We all use the roadway, and we need to make sure that those who are driving big rigs – semis – can understand the road signs, that they´ve been well trained,’ Duffy said.
The states have been given 30 days to comply with the enforcement of the English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirement for commercial truck drivers.
It comes after the DHS vowed to work with the Department of Transportation to ‘root out and prevent illegal aliens from obtaining these licenses from sanctuary jurisdictions that put American drivers and passengers in danger’.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also claimed that Singh ‘should have never obviously been behind the wheel’ partly because he ‘doesn’t even speak English.’
Singh is being held in the St. Lucie County Jail. A Florida judge on Saturday denied bond, ruling that he is an unauthorized alien and a ‘substantial flight risk’
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the August 12 crash unfolded when Singh made an illegal turn on the highway about 50 miles north of West Palm Beach.
A minivan in the neighboring lane was unable to avoid the truck’s trailer and slammed into it, killing the minivan’s driver and two passengers.
Investigators said Singh and his passenger Harneet Singh fled to Sacramento the day after the deadly crash.
The migrant was arrested in Stockton, California, on August 16 and later extradited to Florida. DeSantis dispatched Lt. Gov. Jay Collins to California to escort Singh onto an airplane last Thursday.
Singh is now being held in the St Lucie County Jail on charges of vehicular homicide and immigration violations.
A Florida judge on Saturday denied Singh’s bond, ruling that he is an unauthorized alien and a ‘substantial flight risk’.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also put a hold on him.