The Ben Shapiro Show

Ep. 2263 - OPEN BORDERS DEATH: Illegal Immigrant Truck Driver KILLS Three
Date: August 20, 2025
Host: Ben Shapiro (The Daily Wire)

Main Theme:

This episode spotlights the tragic outcome of U.S. sanctuary and immigration policies after an illegal immigrant truck driver killed three people in Florida. Ben Shapiro critiques California’s and other Democratic-led states’ roles in facilitating such incidents, examining broader questions of assimilation, American identity, and the political/cultural divide over immigration. The episode segues into U.S. foreign policy, especially Trump’s Ukraine strategy, shifting global alliances, escalating sanctions, and current political fights over education, censorship, and the administrative state.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Florida Truck Crash and Immigration Policy ([03:05]-[11:27])

• Incident Overview:
  An illegal immigrant from India, Harinder Singh, holding a California commercial driver’s license (CDL), causes a crash in Florida, killing three Americans.
• Policy Context:
  California’s 2013 law, expanded by Gov. Gavin Newsom (2022), enables undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses and CDLs. As of 2023, nearly 1.2 million such licenses have been issued to undocumented immigrants.
  • Ben Shapiro (05:45):
    “1.2 million illegal immigrants are roaming around the United States with California driver's licenses.”
• Political Blame Game:
  Newsom shifts blame to federal policy; DHS clarifies Singh's work authorization was rejected under Trump and approved under Biden, with California issuing CDL ([5:10]).
• Systemic Failure:
  Singh failed English proficiency and highway sign tests, underscoring flaws in licensing non-assimilated migrants.
  • Quoting Sec. Sean Duffy ([06:40]):
    “Non-enforcement and radical immigration policies have turned the trucking industry into a lawless frontier, resulting in unqualified foreign drivers improperly acquiring licenses to operate 40-ton vehicles.”

2. Assimilation, Citizenship, and the Meaning of “American” ([07:45]-[11:27])

• Historical Assimilation:
  Shapiro discusses historical expectations for assimilation: language, law, culture. He contrasts this with today’s multiculturalist, welfare-state model.
  • “My great-great-grandparents...stopped speaking Yiddish as fast as possible so that they could actually immerse in American culture.” ([08:30])
• Dangers of Segmentation:
  Modern identity politics fuel fragmentation, creating segmented populations that may not share core American values or legal standards.
• Progressive Multiculturalism Critique:
  Shapiro claims the left now encourages the maintenance of separate cultural enclaves without assimilation, undermining the American experiment.
  • “You are supposed to assimilate...That very idea has now been put aside by the entire left and increasingly parts of the right.” ([10:10])

3. The Sanctuary City Debate

• Boston’s Sanctuary Policy:
  Boston Mayor Michelle Wu defends sanctuary status:
  • Wu ([10:55]):
    “We will not back down from who we are and what we stand for. We...make this country safer, healthier, and more prosperous for all Americans.”
  • Shapiro’s Response:
    He calls sanctuary policies lawless, disruptive to wage bases, and damaging to societal cohesion.

4. Citizenship and Vetting Changes ([13:40])

• Citizenship Review Update:
  Under USCIS, vetting now scrutinizes positive contributions, not just absence of misconduct—requiring evidence of community involvement and “good moral character.”
• Anti-American Ideology as a Disqualifier:
  Social media and ideological screening expanded for citizenship applicants.
  • Shapiro ([16:10]):
    “Of course we should screen to see if people hate America...Why is this even remotely controversial?”
  • USCIS Spokesperson ([16:40]):
    “America’s benefits should not be given to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies.”

5. Universities, National Identity, and China ([18:10])

• Gallagher’s Proposal:
  Mike Gallagher suggests reducing Chinese national enrollment at major U.S. universities, linking university cooperation with China to threats against U.S. national interest ([18:36]).
• Universities’ Foreign Tuition Incentives:
  U.S. colleges accept Chinese students for full-tuition revenue; Shapiro and Gallagher call for prioritizing Americans and partner nations.

6. Ukraine War—U.S. Policy, Negotiations, and Sanctions

[21:50] Trump Administration's Approach

• Trump on Boots on Ground:
  • Trump ([22:38]):
    “You have my assurance...I'm just trying to stop people from being killed...losing from five to 7,000 people a week in that ridiculous war...”
  • Caroline Levitt (WH spox) ([23:03]):
    “The president has definitively stated US Boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine, but we can certainly help in coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees...”
  • Trump’s stated personal motivation: “[If] I can save 7,000 people a week...I want to try and get to heaven, if possible.” ([23:43])
• Peace Negotiations:
  Trump calls Putin directly, pushes for a Zelensky-Putin meeting, but Russia signals stalling.
• Putin’s Reluctance:
  Lavrov and Russian aides indicate step-by-step negotiations, not direct summit.
  • Shapiro: “It sounds very much like the Russian government is stringing along the West.” ([44:44])
• Sanctions Debate:
  Shapiro notes economic sanctions’ limited effectiveness, given Russia’s alternate alliances (e.g., India, China). Advocates for energy exports as a more effective tool.

[34:05] India’s Oil Profiteering

• Scott Bessant (Treasury Sec):
  “India had less than 1% of their oil [from Russia]...now I believe it’s up to 42...this India, what I would call the Indian arbitrage...is unacceptable.”

• Shapiro’s Response:
  Warns against alienating India, focuses criticism on China’s purchases.

• Left’s View on Trump and Putin:
  Critiques of Trump as “bending over backward” for Putin are dismissed as out of touch with geopolitical reality ([35:52]-[36:50]).

  • Shapiro:
    “Geopolitics...is the rule of the bully...You just hope the bully is on the right side.” ([37:25])

• Media and Political Narrative:

  • Stephen A. Smith points to the Democrat administrations’ role in Ukraine’s vulnerability ([38:01]):
    “We ain’t gonna act like he [Trump] caused this...It was Biden in office when a full-fledged war against Ukraine took place.”

7. Lawfare, Censorship, and the Administrative State ([40:16]-[47:31])

• Guest: Senator Eric Schmidt (MO)
  Discusses fighting legal battles against what he calls leftist abuses in courts (vaccine mandates, student loan forgiveness, Missouri v. Biden on censorship).
• Censorship and Discovery:
  Schmidt explains exposing COVID-19 and Hunter Biden story suppression, and the need to reform Section 230 for genuine platform neutrality.
• Restaffing and Limiting Bureaucracy:
  Advocates dismantling the administrative state, restoring Congressional power over agency rulemaking (REINS Act), and reducing deference to unelected “experts.”

8. Military Developments: Venezuela and U.S. Drug Policy ([47:33]-[49:36])

• US Deploys Forces Near Venezuela:
  Destroyers and Marines sent to combat drug cartels; Venezuela mobilizes in response.
  • Caroline Levitt ([49:08]):
    “The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela. It is a narco-terror cartel...a fugitive head...indicted in the United States for trafficking drugs...”
• Regional Political Shifts:
  Noting setbacks for socialism in Latin America (Bolivia, Argentina, El Salvador), Shapiro highlights importance of democratic turnover—contrasting with Venezuela's dictatorship.

9. Domestic Policy: Crime, Education, and University Fines ([50:24]-[54:04])

• Trump on D.C. Crime:
  Federal arrests in D.C. surge; DOJ investigates crime data manipulation ([50:36]).
  • Trump (quoted):
    “...Washington, D.C. was the most unsafe city...Now...perhaps the safest, and getting better every...hour.”
• University Settlements:
  Trump proposes extracting major payments from elite universities (e.g., $200M from Columbia) to enhance trade schools and apprenticeships.
• Cultural Critique of Academia:
  Example of a UC professor leaving U.S. over climate science ("These are the kinds of people that are being churned out and hired by our universities.” [54:04])

10. Culture Clash: Jubilee Debate—Identity, Reparations, and “Woke” Testing ([54:54]-[58:48])

• Jubilee Video Highlights:
  • Matt Nuclear (Black Conservative):
    "You can give everyone...a $50,000 check...It's not going to fix anything...No one here is...Are you acting right now? Do you really believe the truth? There's no systemic racism that I've experienced here in America." ([56:09], [58:04])
  • Amanda Seales (Actress):
    “Statistics lie all the time...Particularly when the statistics are coming from these sources that gain from the statistics being shown a different way.” ([56:52])
  • Shapiro’s Take:
    “If you start from the argument that facts do lie, you can't even have a discussion...” ([57:10])
• Teacher Vetting Move in Oklahoma:
  New America-first exam screens out “woke indoctrinators”; questions are basic U.S. civics.

11. Debate on American History, Museums, and “Woke” Narratives ([58:48]-End)

• Trump on Smithsonian Exhibits:
  Trump criticizes museum focus on America’s faults (slavery, oppression) without balancing positive achievements.
  • Trump: “Everything discussed is how horrible our country is, how bad slavery was...Nothing about success, nothing about brightness, nothing about the future.”
• Criticism from the Left:
  Historian Douglas Brinkley: “It’s the epitome of dumbness to criticize the Smithsonian for dealing with the reality of slavery in America...”
• Shapiro’s Clarification:
  Asserts Trump wants a nuanced, positive outlook on U.S. history, not erasure of slavery.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ben Shapiro ([07:45]):
  “The basic predicate for citizenship was that you were assimilating to the dominant culture of the United States…you abided by law in your state, you are not a drain on the people around you.”

• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ([06:40]):
  "This crash was a preventable tragedy directly caused by reckless decisions and compounded by despicable failures."

• President Trump ([22:38]):
  “You have my assurance...I’m just trying to stop people from being killed.”

• Mayor Michelle Wu ([10:55]):
  "Boston will not back down from who we are and what we stand for..."

• Amanda Seales ([56:52]):
  "Statistics lie all the time..."

• Matt Nuclear ([58:04]):
  “There's no systemic racism that I've experienced here in America. What system is racist?”

• Sen. Eric Schmidt ([44:25]):
  “Having something like the REINS act…Congress should have to approve [major rules] before it actually goes into effect...Right now the administrative state’s not accountable.”

• Caroline Levitt ([49:08]):
  “Maduro…is not the legitimate president. He is a fugitive head of this cartel who has been indicted in the United States…”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:05] — California's role in illegal immigrant truck deaths: news breakdown
• [05:45] — Numbers on undocumented immigrants and driver’s licenses
• [07:45] — What is an American? Assimilation, historical context
• [10:55] — Sanctuary cities: Boston Mayor Wu’s defense vs. Shapiro’s critique
• [13:40] — Changes in U.S. citizenship vetting
• [22:38] — Trump on U.S. military role and motives in stopping the Ukraine war
• [34:05] — U.S. sanctions, India’s Russian oil purchases
• [40:16] — Interview: Sen. Eric Schmidt on lawfare, administrative state
• [47:33] — U.S. military moves against Venezuela
• [50:24] — Trump administration on D.C. crime crackdown
• [54:04] — Higher ed cultural commentary: Professor leaves U.S.
• [56:09] — Jubilee episode: reparations, race, statistics debate
• [58:48] — Oklahoma's America-first teacher exam; Trump on museums and American history

Tone & Style

• Shapiro’s tone is urgent, uncompromising, analytical, and combative—especially toward left-leaning immigration and education policies.
• Humor is deployed (e.g., critiques of academia/activists, fashion commentary).
• The episode is fast-moving, and transitions briskly between domestic crises and weighty foreign policy debates, always anchoring them in a worldview of conservative American restoration.

For listeners who missed the episode, this summary details the entire narrative arc—starting with a specific immigration tragedy and extending through major disputes over American identity, policy, geopolitics, and culture—while preserving the energy, key arguments, and most memorable exchanges from the show.