A petition for clemency for the illegal immigrant truck driver charged with killing three people while making an illegal U-turn is gaining traction online, leading to outrage from people who believe the opposite approach is warranted.

Harjinder Singh entered the country illegally in 2018.

More than 2.5 million people have signed the change.org petition directed toward Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Board of Executive Clemency, urging them to consider that the accused has no criminal history and simply made a “terrible mistake.”

But DeSantis had already made it clear that he was taking the case seriously as he sent Florida’s new lieutenant governor, Jay Collins, to California last week to extradite Singh. “Fleeing to a sanctuary state will not prevent him from facing justice in Florida, and we will make sure of that. He will be held accountable for his criminal actions,” the governor said at the time, per Fox News.

Singh, 28, was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and was recently denied bail as he awaits trial. California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is also catching heat because the state issued Singh a commercial driver’s license despite him not being in the country legally. California is one of 19 states to issue licenses to illegal immigrants.

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last week that he had launched an investigation into the accident, calling it a “preventable tragedy,” as The Daily Wire previously reported.

“If states had followed the rules, this driver would never have been behind the wheel and three precious lives would still be with us,” Duffy said. “This crash was a preventable tragedy directly caused by reckless decisions and compounded by despicable failures.”

The online petition for clemency is being blasted online, with many commenters weighing in on the situation.

“They’d rather defend an illegal truck driver than protect American lives. I guarantee you, I know what their political ideologies are. Pure clown world,” one commenter wrote.

“It shouldn’t matter if 50 million sign it. We don’t impose justice by popular opinion. We have laws for a reason. 3 people lost their lives. Is there any justice for them?” another person agreed. 

After Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a directive on July 1 ordering all governors to comply with federal standards for “consistent and recognizable traffic control devices including crosswalk and intersection markings, and orderly use of the right‑of‑way that is kept free from distractions,” Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis did exactly that, ordering the state to paint over a rainbow-colored crosswalk in Orlando memorializing the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, and enraging critics who contended it was an attack on gay rights.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer called the removal “callous” and “a cruel political act,” adding, “This crosswalk not only enhanced safety and visibility for the large number of pedestrians visiting the memorial, it also served as a visual reminder of Orlando’s commitment to honor the 49 lives taken.”

State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith argued, “They did this in the middle of the night because they were scared of the resistance because they know what they did was wrong.”

“The state transportation agency had been notifying cities around Florida in recent months that they must remove rainbow-colored crosswalks and intersections or they could face the withholding of transportation funds,” the Associated Press noted.

DeSantis issued a blunt and succinct reply to his critics: “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”

We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes. https://t.co/AXY1qxsZNW

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 21, 2025

Some community members then rechalked the rainbow colors onto the crosswalk.

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But DeSantis had plenty of support online, as Twitchy documented. Some comments included:

Good on DeSantis. This should have never been on the sidewalk to begin with. Stop painting sidewalks, crosswalks and roads for any group cause. All it does is make people more irritated with you.

Painting a sidewalk in rainbow colors has nothing to do with the people who were murdered there. People can mourn them in private or go to the cemetery. This is like marking a spot for one group of people. Also, the Governor can do what he thinks is best for all his citizens.

Painting a sidewalk in rainbow colors has nothing to do with the people who were murdered there. People can mourn them in private or go to the cemetery. This is like marking a spot for one group of people. Also, the Governor can do what he thinks is best for all his citizens.

DeSantis doesn’t play! Florida just painted over the rainbow crosswalk in Orlando and the left is LOSING it.  One senator is literally on-scene crying about a sidewalk… Meanwhile, real Floridians are cheering. 🌴🇺🇸  Common sense > woke symbolism.