Indian illegal trucker held after Oregon crash kills newlyweds

Court records show Rajinder Kumar is facing homicide charges and that federal officials have issued an immigration detainer against him.

By: Express News Service

Chandigarh | Updated: December 3, 2025 02:29 PM IST

3 min read

Rajinder Kumar, 32, was arrested at the scene and is facing two counts of criminally negligent homicide and one count of reckless endangerment, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police.(Express)

A semi-truck driven by an Indian national who, according to US federal records, entered the United States illegally in 2022 was involved in a crash that killed a newly married couple on a remote Oregon highway on November 24. Rajinder Kumar, 32, was arrested at the scene and is facing two counts of criminally negligent homicide and one count of reckless endangerment, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police.

Police reports cited by Oregon outlets KTVZ and The Oregonian say Kumar’s Freightliner truck jackknifed across both lanes in darkness, with no emergency warning devices placed on the roadway. A westbound Subaru Outback driving at highway speeds struck the trailer’s side, killing the two occupants instantly. They were identified as 25-year-old William Micah Carter of Springfield and his 24-year-old wife, Jennifer Lynn Lower of John Day, who had married just sixteen days earlier.

Kumar, listed in court filings as a resident of Fresno, California, was uninjured. Jail records show he remained in custody this week despite posting bail because he did not have a passport to surrender, which is a condition of release. His pretrial release hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

On December 1, the US Department of Homeland Security disclosed that Kumar is an Indian citizen who crossed into the country illegally near Lukeville, Arizona, on November 28, 2022. According to DHS and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he was released pending immigration proceedings under federal policy at the time and was later issued work authorisation in 2023. He subsequently obtained a California commercial driver’s licence (CDL), a point that has since become a major focus of political commentary.

ICE has lodged an immigration detainer with the Deschutes County Jail. The agency said Oregon’s sanctuary state laws could make it difficult to assume custody if Kumar is released by the court. A DHS statement, quoted widely by US media including Fox News and The Post Millennial, described Kumar as a “criminal illegal alien from India” and criticised both federal border policy and California’s licensing practices. “How many more senseless tragedies must take place before sanctuary politicians stop allowing illegal aliens to dangerously operate semi-trucks on America’s roads?” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

California’s AB 60 law allows undocumented residents to obtain non-commercial driving licences with proof of identity and residency, but commercial licences typically require federal verification of legal status. Data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration estimates that undocumented drivers make up between eight and ten per cent of the national trucking workforce, with higher concentrations in states such as California.

Kumar’s case is the fourth in 2025 in which ICE has issued a detainer for a truck driver charged in a fatal crash. Further hearings will decide whether Kumar stays in local custody or is handed over to federal immigration authorities.

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Highway accident homicide illegal Indian Express Indians killed