2M+ Sign Petition Backing Migrant Trucker Who Killed 3
A petition calling for leniency for an Indian truck driver accused of causing a deadly crash in Florida has garnered more than 2.2 million signatures.
Harjinder Singh, 28, is facing three counts of vehicular homicide after allegedly making an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike on August 12 while driving a tractor-trailer. The crash resulted in the deaths of three people. If convicted, Singh could face up to 45 years in prison — 15 years for each count.
Singh, who entered the United States illegally in 2018, was arrested in California following the crash and extradited to Florida. U.S. Marshals took him into custody after he reportedly fled the scene.
The case has sparked widespread attention, particularly among the Indian and Punjabi diaspora. A Change.org petition urging Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to consider commuting Singh’s sentence if convicted describes the incident as a “tragic accident” rather than a criminal act.
“This was a tragic accident — not a deliberate act,” the petition states. “While accountability matters, the severity of the charges against him does not align with the circumstances of the incident.” Created by Manisha Kaushal and signed as “Collective Punjabi Youth,” the petition has drawn global support, especially from Indian nationals and members of the Punjabi community.
One supporter from Sydney, Australia, wrote: “He made a terrible mistake, not a deliberate choice to harm anyone. He was working hard to support his family… A 45-year prison sentence is not justice.”
Illegal Indian trucker Harjinder Singh killed a Florida family of three in an illegal U-turn.
Singh, who crossed the border in 2018, still got a CDL from California. He now faces homicide charges and deportation.
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Another commenter from Mississauga, Ontario, added: “Forty-five years of imprisonment? Is that fair for a young man who left his home country to build a better future?”
Singh’s family in Rataul, a village in India’s Punjab region, have also appealed for leniency. “His age is 28 years, and if he gets 45 years of jail, then you can imagine what will be the condition of his family,” said his relative, Dilbagh Singh.
The incident has also drawn political attention in both the U.S. and India. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio responded to the crash by suspending commercial truck driver visas, citing concerns about foreign drivers “endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.”
In response, Indian Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal criticized Rubio’s stance, warning that such a move could unfairly target the Punjabi community. “Punjabi and Sikh drivers make up 20% of the United States’ trucking industry. Any mass-level action against them would be discriminatory,” she said.
According to immigration records, Singh entered the U.S. by mortgaging land in India and was detained by Border Patrol before being released on a $5,000 bond. His immigration case was still pending at the time of the crash. He claimed he feared violence if he returned to India and had been granted temporary permission to stay and work in the U.S.
Following his arrest, the Department of Homeland Security labeled Singh “a significant threat to public safety” and denied him bond over the weekend, citing the seriousness of the charges.
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