Deadly California Crash Involving Illegal Immigrant Truck Driver

A semi-truck crash in Lodi, California has led to the charge of vehicular manslaughter against Manveer Singh, an illegal immigrant. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed Singh had been caught and released at the Arizona border in 2023. The case has sparked calls from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and federal officials for ‘Delilah’s Law’, which aims to ban commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) for illegal immigrants.

The crash comes as part of a troubling trend of fatal accidents involving noncitizen commercial truck drivers, prompting the Trump administration to tighten CDL regulations. Recently, Pennsylvania State Police trooper Michael E. Pahira Jr., 44, died in a separate crash while conducting a commercial vehicle inspection on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County. A semi-truck left the roadway, hitting his patrol vehicle and the truck he was inspecting, before fatally striking Pahira. The crash set both semi-trucks on fire, leading to Pahira’s death at a local hospital.

The driver involved in Pahira’s crash, Michael Bon, a 33-year-old Haitian national from Brockton, Massachusetts, faces multiple charges, including homicide by vehicle and reckless driving. He is held at Schuylkill County Prison on a $700,000 bail, with his next court date set for July 15. DHS has lodged an immigration detainer against him.

Bon entered the U.S. in July 2024 under the Biden administration’s humanitarian parole program. Despite his Temporary Protected Status application being denied and his parole later terminated in June 2025, Bon stayed in the U.S. and acquired a non-domiciled CDL in Massachusetts in March 2025. The license was renewed in February 2026, before federal rules prohibited such renewals for ineligible drivers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made tightening CDL rules a key priority due to numerous fatal crashes involving non-domiciled CDL holders. Last year, Duffy began a nationwide audit of state-issued non-domiciled CDLs after fatal crashes in states like Wyoming, Florida, and California. President Donald Trump indicated that at least 17 fatal crashes in 2025 involved illegal immigrant CDL holders.

The Department of Transportation threatened to withhold federal funds from states issuing licenses to ineligible drivers, and in April, cut over $73 million in funding to New York for failing to revoke improper licenses. Duffy emphasized the importance of qualified, vetted drivers to ensure roadway safety.

In memory of Michael Pahira, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro highlighted his commitment to his family and community. Pahira, who joined the Pennsylvania State Police in 2007, had moved home to care for his mother during cancer treatment.