A semi-truck jackknifed across both lanes of a highway in Deschutes County, Oregon, late on November 24. The fatal crash killed two newlyweds. According to NY Post, an Indian national, Rajinder Kumar, 32, has been charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment. According to reports, the victims, 25-year-old William Micah Carter from Springfield and his 24-year-old wife, had been married for just sixteen days.
Who is Rajinder Kumar?
According to the court papers cited by Oregon outlets KTVZ, Kumar is a 32-year-old resident of Fresno, California, but his journey to the United States is now a major part of the case. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified Kumar as an Indian citizen who entered the United States illegally near Lukeville, Arizona, on November 28, 2022. According to NY Post, Kumar was released under federal immigration policy and granted work authorisation in 2023.
With this authorisation, Kumar obtained a California commercial driver’s licence (CDL), something that usually requires federal verification of immigration status.
Indian truck driver charged after crash kills newlyweds
Soon after the crash, ICE placed an immigration detainer on Kumar, seeking custody if the county releases him. But Oregon’s sanctuary state laws could make this difficult. Despite posting bail, Kumar stayed in jail because he did not have a passport to surrender, which was required for his release, according to the police reports cited by Oregon outlets KTVZ.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called Kumar a “criminal illegal from India” and raised concerns over undocumented drivers operating commercial trucks. She said, “How many more senseless tragedies must take place before sanctuary politicians stop allowing illegal aliens to dangerously operate semi-trucks on America’s roads?”
McLaughlin blamed California Governor Gavin Newsom and former President Joe Biden, both Democrats, for policies that allowed Kumar to work and drive a commercial truck.
California has a law known as AB 60, which allows undocumented immigrants to receive non-commercial driver’s licences if they can prove their identity and residency. But commercial licences, which truck drivers need, are supposed to involve federal status checks.
Past cases of crashes involving Indian Truck drivers
Kumar’s case is the fourth in 2025 involving an Indian truck driver and a fatal crash. In August, ICE lodged a detainer for Harjinder Singh after he was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide in Florida. The same month, Partap Singh was arrested in California following a multi-vehicle pileup that left a five-year-old girl critically injured. In October, ICE issued a detainer for Jashanpreet Singh, accused of killing three people in California while driving under the influence.