Florida teams up with ICE to crack down on illegal alien truckers after deadly crash

A fatal crash in Florida involving an illegal alien semi-truck driver earlier this month prompted the state to take new measures to prevent future tragedies.

State Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Monday that the state would turn its weigh stations into Immigration and Customs Enforcement checkpoints.

'All states that are serious about [commercial motor vehicle] enforcement should sign the 287 agreements with ICE and begin stationing ICE agents at weigh stations/ports of entry immediately.'

Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old Indian national who illegally crossed the border into the United States in 2018, was arrested after he jackknifed his truck while allegedly making an illegal U-turn on August 12. The maneuver caused the truck to crush a minivan, killing everyone in the vehicle. Singh obtained his commercial driver's license in California.

The tragic incident highlighted problems in the American trucking sector related to the nation's illegal immigration crisis.

"Someone that never should have been given a driver's license, much less a CDL license to drive larger commercial vehicles, engaged in reckless behavior that took three lives," Uthmeier stated during a Monday press conference in Live Oak.

"Last night, we saw another example. We were able to arrest an individual who was in the country illegally, who was driving a commercial vehicle in Bay County," he continued.

RELATED: American trucking at a crossroads: Deadly crash involving illegal alien exposes true cost of Biden’s border invasion

Photographer: Carlos Moreno/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Roberto Carlos Vergara Cervantes, an Ecuadorian national, was arrested by ICE and is awaiting deportation. He obtained his CDL from New Jersey, though it was not valid in Florida, according to Uthmeier.

"There's no telling how many illegal aliens are in this country driving large commercial vehicles and putting American families in a safety risk every single day," he added.

Uthmeier, alongside Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, announced immigration enforcement at Florida weigh stations, including a new station near the Alabama border on Highway 231. The move will also include the addition of more pullover lanes in north Florida and the implementation of X-ray technology.

"With 23 inspection stations on Florida roadways and 100% of our officers being certified in the 287(g) program, agricultural law enforcement officers are uniquely skilled and positioned to help prevent another tragedy and be a force multiplier in the fight against illegal immigration and criminal activity," Simpson stated.

RELATED: Supporters of illegal alien truck driver accused of killing 3 demand light sentence: 'Shame on your white injustice'

Photographer: Rebecca Noble/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Cole Stevens, the chief strategy officer for Stevens Trucking Co., supported Florida's move.

"All states that are serious about [commercial motor vehicle] enforcement should sign the 287 agreements with ICE and begin stationing ICE agents at weigh stations/ports of entry immediately," Stevens told Blaze News. "Our coalition has been yelling this for months, and some for years, just how bad the trucking industry has gotten with lack of enforcement for basic safety protocols as well as basic licensing checks."

"Americans deserve to be safe on our roadways," he continued. "After all, they do pay the taxes for them through usage taxes, fuel taxes, etc., so they have a major say in roadway safety! I applaud this administration for answering the call and taking a multi-agency approach to correcting this issue that has been building up for years!"

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