DESCHUTES COUNTY, OREGON — Federal immigration officials have issued an ICE arrest detainer for a semi-truck driver accused of causing a deadly crash that killed two newlyweds in Oregon late last month, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The fatal collision occurred on November 24 around 9:30 p.m. on Highway 20, when Rajinder Kumar, 32, of India, reportedly jackknifed his semi-truck, leaving the tractor-trailer sprawled across both lanes of traffic in Deschutes County. Moments later, a Subaru Outback carrying William Micah Carter and Jennifer Lynn Lower, who had recently married, crashed into the wrecked big rig. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

According to Fox News, Kumar was arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment. He is currently being held at the Deschutes County Jail. DHS officials said Monday that Kumar is considered a “criminal illegal alien,” stating he unlawfully entered the U.S. near Lukeville, Arizona, in November 2022 before being released into the country. He was later granted work authorization in 2023 and obtained a California-issued commercial driver’s license that same year.

The Department of Homeland Security said that because Oregon is a sanctuary state, ICE will take steps to secure custody of Kumar if he is released from local detention. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a sharp statement criticizing policies that allowed Kumar to operate a commercial vehicle in the U.S. “How many more senseless tragedies must take place before sanctuary politicians stop allowing illegal aliens to dangerously operate semi-trucks on America’s roads?” she said. “Under Secretary Noem, ICE will continue its efforts to get illegal alien truck drivers off America’s highways.”

According to the New York Post, immigration officials noted that Kumar represents another example of an undocumented truck driver involved in a fatal crash after being released into the country under existing federal policies. DHS officials extended condolences to the families of Carter and Lower, emphasizing that efforts to detain Kumar will continue as legal proceedings move forward.

The investigation into the fatal crash remains active.

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