Kristi Noem Slams Newsom Over Undocumented California Trucker in Deadly Collision: 'Stop Playing Games With American Lives'

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom over a truck collision that left a five-year-old girl seriously injured, accusing him of enabling undocumented immigrants to obtain commercial driver's licenses.

The June 2024 crash in San Bernardino County involved a six-vehicle pileup that left Bakersfield resident Dalilah Coleman with a fractured skull and broken leg. Federal officials said the semi-truck driver, Partap Singh, was undocumented and had received a commercial license from California's Department of Motor Vehicles. Singh was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Fresno on August 29 pursuant to a warrant.

"Dalilah Coleman's tragedy was entirely preventable," Noem wrote on X. "This is sadly another example of Gavin Newsom's California DMV issuing an illegal alien a Commercial Driver's License. How many more innocent people must become victims before Gavin Newsom stops playing games with American lives?"

Newsom's office rejected Noem's claim, pointing to federal authorization that allowed Singh to work in the United States. "The federal government issued the driver a federal work permit — and renewed it after the accident — making him eligible for a driver's license in any state, not just in the state of California," the governor's press office said in a statement. It called Noem's remarks "deeply disappointing" and accused her of "peddling false and misleading information."

The exchange comes just days after a separate clash between the two officials that drew scrutiny from the Secret Service. On Saturday, Newsom's press office posted on X that Noem would "have a bad day," a remark federal officials described as threatening. The Secret Service confirmed it opened an inquiry, noting it must investigate any statements that could be perceived as threats against protectees.

Noem later said the post "panicked" her family and staff. "It was cryptic, and it was really menacing," she told Fox News' Hannity, adding that her children asked if she was safe. "Words matter, and we've realized that threats have consequences."