The illegal immigrant truck driver who is accused of causing a crash in Fort Pierce, Florida that killed three people failed English and road sign tests during the investigation into the wreck, officials said.

Harjinder Singh, who crossed into the United States illegally in 2018 via the southern border, obtained a commercial driver's license in California. He attempted to obtain work authorization, but it was rejected by the first Trump administration on Sept. 14, 2020, according to Tricia McLaughlin, Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs.

"During [Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's] interview with the driver, investigators administered an English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessment in accordance with FMCSA guidance," the Department of Transportation said in a statement. "The driver failed the assessment, providing correct responses to just 2 of 12 verbal questions and only accurately identifying 1 of 4 highway traffic signs."

FLORIDA TRAGEDY SHOWS WHY TRUMP’S TRUCKING LICENSE CRACKDOWN IS NEEDED

The DOT indicated that the investigation began on Aug. 14, two days after the crash.

Singh has been charged with three counts of vehicular homicide. He was arrested in Stockton, California on Saturday. 

According to the DOT, Singh was issued a regular full-term commercial driver’s license in the state of Washington in July 2023, but that illegal immigrants are not allowed to obtain this type of license. 

A year later, Singh was issued a limited-term/non-domiciled commercial driver's license in California. The DOT is investigating further whether the issuance of that license followed federal regulations. 

On July 3, the New Mexico State Police pulled Singh over and conducted a roadside inspection of him. He was given a speeding ticket, but not subjected to an English language proficiency test, which was required by law beginning on June 25. 

Singh allegedly made a U-turn in an unauthorized area on the Florida Turnpike, causing his truck to jackknife and collide with a minivan. The three occupants of the minivan died in the crash.

The crash sparked a bitter spat between the office of California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and McLaughlin, as Newsom's office tried to wriggle its way out of responsibility for Singh's work permit. 

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCK DRIVER ACCUSED IN DEADLY FLORIDA CRASH GOT BIDEN WORK PERMIT AFTER TRUMP DENIAL: DHS

"Hey, genius: the federal government (TRUMP ADMIN) already confirmed that this guy meets federal and state immigration requirements -- YOU issued him a work permit (EAD). As usual, the Trump Administration is either lying or clueless," Newsom's office said in a post on X when criticized by McLaughlin. 

"False. Harjinder Singh is in the United States illegally and his work authorization was rejected under the Trump Administration on September 14, 2020," McLaughlin replied. "It was later approved under the Biden Administration June 9, 2021. The state of California issues Commercial Drivers Licenses. There is no national CDL."

A spokesperson for Newsom told Fox News Digital that Singh was reissued a work permit on April 9, and once again blamed Trump.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF KILLING 3 IN FLORIDA HIGHWAY CRASH CROSSED BORDER INTO CALIFORNIA IN 2018: DHS

"Why don’t you ask Trump about the driver’s federally issued work permit and when he entered this country?," the spokesperson said in a statement. "Spoiler alert: it was in 2018 under Trump — whoops. He would have been eligible in any state. California followed federal law, something the President knows nothing about."

"In fact, the driver in this case was reissued an Employment Authorization (work permit) on 4/9/2025 and, if my math is correct, that falls within the current presidential term," the statement continued. 

Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report. 

The Texas legislature is poised to take up a new congressional redistricting bill put forward by Republicans on Wednesday, following weeks of pushback from Democrats.

It is unclear how quickly Republicans will be able to vote on the redistricting plan, as it must go through floor debate before coming to a vote. It is a victory for Republicans, nevertheless, as Democrats who fled the state in an effort to block the plan are now back in the capitol. If passed, the new congressional map would likely flip five seats currently held by Democrats over to Republicans, a reality that has unleashed cries of gerrymandering across the country.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has vowed to "fight fire with fire," saying New York Democrats will pursue their own redistricting plan.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom has followed suit, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) proposing a California congressional map that would flip five Republican seats over to Democrats.

COLBERT CONFRONTS JB PRITZKER WITH MAP SHOWING ILLINOIS GERRYMANDERING

Meanwhile, more Republican states, including Ohio, Florida, Indiana and Missouri, are moving forward with or considering their own redistricting efforts, as are Democratic states such as Maryland and Illinois.

Nowhere has a redistricting battle been more dramatic than in Texas, however, where roughly 50 Democratic state lawmakers absconded from a special legislative session to block the vote in early August.

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Democrats fled to Illinois and New York, but they faced a $500 fine for each day they refused to return home. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, and other state officials hit the Democratic legislators with lawsuits seeking criminal charges or to have them removed from office entirely.

The walkout ended when Democrats returned on Monday, saying they had accomplished their goals of blocking a vote during the first special legislative session and persuading Democrats in other states to take retaliatory steps.

Reuters contributed to this report.