WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Tuesday that three Democrat-led states must enforce English language proficiency requirements for commercial drivers or face federal funding cuts.
Duffy singled out California, Washington and New Mexico, saying they had 30 days to comply before seeing their funds from the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program cut off. That money aims to help state and local law enforcement agencies improve commercial vehicle safety.
The administration’s move comes on the heels of a deadly Florida crash that conservatives have pointed to in their criticism of policies that they say allowed migrants to enter the U.S. illegally.
“States don’t get to pick and choose which federal safety rules to follow,” Duffy said in a press release detailing the announcement. “As we saw with the horrific Florida crash that killed three, when states fail to enforce the law, they put the driving public in danger.”
NBC News has reached out to the offices of the governors of California, Washington and New Mexico for comment.
Duffy’s statement referred to a fatal crash that authorities say was caused by a migrant who was in the U.S. illegally.
The U.S. Marshals Service announced earlier this month the arrest of Harjinder Singh, who was allegedly driving a semi-truck pulling a trailer that crashed into a vehicle, killing three people.
Singh allegedly entered the U.S. illegally in 2018, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Law enforcement officials interviewed Singh after the crash using translation services, according to the arrest affidavit.
Singh’s case outraged conservatives, who painted the crash as a consequence of migration. The Department of Homeland Security accused Singh of failing an English language proficiency assessment.
Singh had obtained his commercial driver’s license in California, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
In remarks to reporters on Tuesday, Duffy laid blame on all three states for the deadly crash, which took place in Florida, criticizing Singh’s receiving a license, pointing to him allegedly being pulled over in July for speeding, and criticizing New Mexico law enforcement for not taking “his rig out of service.”
“This one driver touched all three states. Based on our review, they are not complying with our rule,” Duffy asserted.
Also on the heels of the crash, Florida state officials announced this week that law enforcement officials would be stationed at checkpoints, working with “federal and state partners on immigration enforcement and checking for English proficiency for commercial drivers while continuing agricultural inspections.”
Following an executive order from President Donald Trump, Duffy in May signed an order strengthening English language proficiency requirements for commercial truck drivers and requiring drivers who do not meet the standard to be taken off the road.
The Obama administration had previously changed the penalty for commercial motor vehicle drivers who did not meet the necessary English requirements, downgrading the penalty to a citation rather than being barred from driving.
