As part of a series of proposals, Florida’s chief financial officer (CFO), Ingoglia, is calling for all commercial driver’s license (CDL) instruction and testing to be performed only in English.
He’s also seeking to remove illegal immigrants from worker’s compensation eligibility in his state.
The CDL effort comes after the turnpike wreck killed three Floridians on Aug. 12 in the northbound lanes of the Florida Turnpike near Fort Pierce, Fla.
A 2024 International semi-truck, driven by Indian-born Harjinder Singh, attempted a U-turn in an area marked for “official use only.” The truck crossed multiple lanes into the path of an oncoming minivan.
The van became wedged beneath the truck. Two passengers died at the scene, and their driver later died at the hospital.
The driver, Singh, had been licensed in California. After the fatal collision, Ingoglia did some digging around that state’s licensing requirements.
“I found out that the test is given in English, but the prep courses and the (written) prep test in order to take the (driving) test is given in 45 different languages. We cannot expect people to pass tests in the state of Florida and be on the roads if they don't speak English,” Ingoglia said on American Family Radio Wednesday.
A state statue allowing illegals access to worker’s comp had flown under the radar, too, Ingoglia told show host Jenna Ellis.
“I don't think anyone realized that that was in the state statute. So, I want to get rid of that.”
Now Ingoglia wants to remove illegals from eligibility under Florida’s Workers’ Compensation laws, meaning they’d no longer be protected as “covered employees.”
Employers on the hook
His plan would require that any company hiring undocumented workers be personally financially liable (out-of-pocket) if those workers are injured — instead of relying on statutory workers’ compensation benefits.
He proposes requiring companies to use the federal E-Verify system to verify legal employment status for claims under workers’ compensation.
In addition, Ingoglia proposes that in the event of an auto accident involving an illegal immigrant, their insurance company would be forced to accept full fault.
“Many people know that there are 19 states that actually give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. What many people don't know, and which was shocking to me, was that there are insurance companies that are not only marketing to illegal immigrants in the United States, but offering and binding auto insurance coverage for them,” Ingoglia said.
That gives illegals like Singh, of Stockton, California, age 28 at the time of the turnpike wreck, access to U.S. highways from coast to coast.
“Florida does not recognize driver's licenses from states that issue for illegal immigrants, but if you get into an accident with an illegal immigrant here in the state of Florida, I think that the illegal immigrant should automatically be at fault in a no-fault state like Florida,” Ingoglia said.
Insurance companies need to be held accountable, he said.
“If you’re going to market to them, and you are going to create a magnet for illegal immigrants to come to the United States, then the insurance company should pay.”
Ingoglia says his proposals will protect “law-abiding Floridians,” safeguard taxpayer resources and prevent illegal immigrants from benefitting from state-regulated financial or benefit programs.
In search of brains
Reaction has been mixed.
“Some of the people who love my proposal for not giving workers comp benefits to illegal immigrants are actually against my proposal for not giving them auto insurance. It's still an insurance product. So you're either for giving illegal immigrants stuff or not. You can't have it both ways,” Ingoglia said.
Ingoglia says immigration in the U.S. is a “50-year problem” made worse by political leaders and states who insist on providing all government programs that are available to legal U.S. citizens.
“Where are peoples’ brains? You are basically subsidizing illegal immigration by creating these magnets with the federal government. Then everyone is amazed that we have more and more illegal immigration.”
