An Indian national identified as Jashanpreet Singh has been arrested in San Diego by officers from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with authorities describing him as a “criminal alien”.
The arrest was announced by the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office in San Diego in a post on X.
According to officials, Singh has a criminal history that includes threatening a crime with intent to terrorise, assault with a deadly weapon, and driving under the influence (DUI).
Authorities said Singh will remain in ICE custody while removal proceedings are underway. These proceedings determine whether a non-citizen will be deported from the United States. Officials have not immediately shared further details about the circumstances surrounding his arrest or when his immigration court hearing will take place.
The development comes amid another Indian national named Jashanpreet Singh in the United States. Last year, a 21-year-old Indian-origin truck driver with the same name was involved in a fatal crash in California that killed three people.
In that case, Singh had initially been accused of drunk driving after a collision on a California freeway. However, a toxicology report later cleared him of the allegation. In a news release reported by CBS News, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office said, “Toxicology reports confirmed none of the substances tested were present in the defendant's blood at the time the test was rendered.”
Singh’s family in India maintained that he was a baptised (Amritdhaari) Sikh and did not consume alcohol or drugs. The driver pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.
Following the toxicology findings, the DUI charge was dropped and the case moved forward on amended charges. Prosecutors listed three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of reckless driving on a highway causing a specified injury.
Officials said the crash occurred when Singh failed to stop his truck before hitting another vehicle, setting off a chain-reaction collision.
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