More than 1.6 million people have signed an online petition attributed to “Punjabi youth” urging the federal government to free Harjinder Singh, the Indian migrant trucker who killed three Americans in Florida after attempting an illegal U-turn with his 18-wheeler on a busy turnpike.
The petition, circulating on Change.org, portrays Singh as a victim of “tragic circumstances” rather than a reckless driver whose actions destroyed three American families. It asks that Singh be spared a lengthy prison term and instead sentenced to what it calls “restorative justice measures” such as counseling or community service.
“We, the undersigned, respectfully petition for clemency or sentence reduction on behalf of a 28-year-old Punjabi man who, in a tragic and unintentional incident, caused a truck accident that resulted in the loss of three lives,” the petition reads. “We urge compassion, accountability, and understanding.”
This is unbelievably heartbreaking. 3 people dead because:
— Trucking Made Successful (@TMSuccessful) August 17, 2025
1. Harjinder Singh unlawfully crossed in 2018
2. CA decided to say "screw it, lets issue him a CDL"
3. He had absolutely zero respect for the road sign saying Official use only and made an illegal U-turn.
But what gets me… pic.twitter.com/is2k5b3Ktx
The signatories identify themselves as “Collective Punjabi Youth,” referencing Punjab, a district in India that is heavily populated by Sikhs, an ethnic group with a rapidly growing presence in the United States. Many of those Sikhs, including Singh, arrived either illegally or through loosely enforced visa programs.
Singh’s defenders frame the case as an issue of fairness. They argue that because the crash was not intentional, the state of Florida should reconsider his 45-year sentence. Some even call it “racial discrimination” to hold him fully accountable, despite the fact that his inability to read English road signs and his reckless maneuver directly caused three preventable deaths.
Typical comments left on the petition show a striking solidarity with Singh — not with the American victims. “It was an accident,” wrote one supporter. “He made a terrible mistake, not a deliberate choice to harm anyone. A 45-year prison sentence is not justice.” Another said: “He left everything back home to have a better future here. It was a terrible mistake, not intentional. 45 years is a long time.”
One signatory, Sandeep, went further: “Lots of criminals are walking free without punishment … why is it unfair with him just because he is migrating?” Another supporter, Mohit, claimed the punishment reflected “racial discrimination,” even suggesting Singh’s flat reaction after the deadly crash was not callousness but “shock.”
The case also raises larger questions about the cultural norms imported into America by mass migration. Singh, like many truckers from India, was unable to pass basic English comprehension tests and reportedly could not understand traffic signs. This deficiency alone should have disqualified him from operating a massive 18-wheeler on U.S. roads.
Indian author Rohit Singh has described his country’s road culture as one of “daredevil” recklessness: “Most Indian drivers do not think twice before overtaking from the wrong side, speeding on crowded streets, or ignoring traffic signals. The lack of strict enforcement of traffic laws emboldens drivers to undertake risky maneuvers, endangering themselves and others.”
That culture of non-compliance may be tolerated on India’s chaotic highways, but on an American turnpike it became lethal. Singh’s U-turn maneuver, in violation of every common-sense trucking standard, caused a crash that ended three innocent American lives.
The petitioners point to the case of Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, a Cuban migrant trucker in Colorado who killed four people in 2019 after failing to use a runaway ramp while driving over 100 mph. He was initially sentenced to 110 years in prison, only to have Democratic Governor Jared Polis commute the term to 10 years following massive public pressure and a petition signed by millions.
Singh’s supporters argue that precedent should apply in Florida. They claim that, like Aguilera-Mederos, Singh had “no criminal intent or history” and that his 45-year sentence is “excessively severe.” They ask for clemency, community service, and early release — all while the families of three dead Americans are left to mourn.
The deeper issue, however, is not just one reckless driver. It is the result of decades of lax immigration enforcement and the prioritization of foreign nationals over American citizens. Since the 1990s, the federal government has steadily loosened its standards, ignoring the rule of law and encouraging millions of migrants — including more than 5 million Indians — to enter and settle in the United States.
These newcomers fill not just white-collar jobs through outsourcing and visa pipelines, but also industries like trucking, where safety and communication are paramount. The cost is borne by American citizens who face higher risks on highways, strained infrastructure, and diminished accountability when tragedies occur.
Supporters of mass migration often argue that immigrants are “just working to support their families.” Yet when their negligence destroys American families, as in this case, they demand compassion and clemency. The underlying assumption is clear: Americans must sacrifice safety and justice so that foreigners can pursue their “better future.”
Much of the rhetoric in Singh’s defense avoids responsibility entirely. Petition comments repeatedly describe the event as “fate” or “a mistake” rather than a crime. “Yes, mistakes were made, but one mistake should not mean the end of someone’s future,” wrote one supporter. Another insisted that “the accident happened because both parties had their fate — it is not right to jail a living man for 45 years.”
Some supporters even left video messages from their own truck cabs, minimizing Singh’s actions. “He just took a wrong turn … accident happen,” said Parvinder Kaur, a Sikh woman apparently driving in the United States.
For the families who lost loved ones, the petition is a cruel reminder of how little their pain matters to those who place ethnic solidarity and migrant leniency above American lives. A father, mother, or sibling lost forever cannot be restored by “community service.”
The 45-year sentence is not an act of “racism.” It is the lawful consequence of gross negligence that killed three innocent people. If anything, Americans have seen far too many cases where foreign nationals receive lighter treatment than citizens, all under the banner of multicultural compassion.
At some point, the country must decide whether its justice system exists to protect its own people — or to bend under pressure from imported communities that prioritize their group identity over the rule of law.