Federal immigration agents arrested an Indian trucker who was involved in a deadly accident that killed newlyweds days before Thanksgiving after Oregon’s sanctuary officials released him.
Rajinder Kumar, an Indian national, was arrested and faced criminal charges for the double fatality on an Oregon highway last November.
He was released from Deschutes County Jail on April 2 after he met bail conditions, sparking renewed outrage over sanctuary policies that allow criminal illegal aliens to be releases from jail back into American communities.
“Kumar entered the U.S. ILLEGALLY in 2022 and was RELEASED into our nation by the Biden Administration,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shared on social media. “Thank you to our ICE officers who tracked this killer down after he was RELEASED from jail by Oregon sanctuary politicians.”
.@ICEgov has arrested an illegal alien semi-truck driver RELEASED by Oregon sanctuary politicians after he KILLED two honeymooners. He was issued a commercial driver’s license in Gavin Newsom’s California.
Kumar entered the U.S. ILLEGALLY in 2022 and was RELEASED into our… pic.twitter.com/hjpiaf5iIq
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) April 28, 2026
Kumar, like many other foreign truckers who have killed Americans across the country, was issued a commercial driver’s license in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California, DHS said.
The crash occurred on Nov. 24, 2025, in Deschutes County, Oregon. Kumar, 32, from Fresno, California, jackknifed his semi-truck and trailer, blocking both lanes of U.S. Highway 20, KOIN 6 News reported following the crash.
A newly married couple happened to be on the road that day, driving a Subaru Outback that collided with the semi-truck. The crash occurred around 9:30 p.m., when the Outback “struck the trailer of the Freightliner as it was stopped perpendicular to the lanes of travel,” police said.
The driver, William Micah Carter, and passenger, Jennifer Lynn Lower, died from the impact and were pronounced dead at the scene. According to various reports, the couple had been married for just 16 days and were traveling home after their wedding reception.
According to the crash report, investigators noted that Kumar’s semi-truck “was stopped in a jackknifed position, blocking both lanes of travel, with the tractor facing eastbound in the eastbound lane.”
Oregon State Police arrested Kumar the same day of the crash and charged him with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement filed a detainer request after the accident seeking notification of his release. A jail detainer may also request a hold for up to 48 hours until ICE can take custody.
However, Oregon’s sanctuary laws prohibit local and state police from assisting with immigration enforcement.
The Lookout Eugene-Springfield reported court records show an April 2 release order for Kumar. His bond had been set at $250,000, and 10% of that amount, or $25,000, was required to be posted for his release. A court filing shows an April 14 “transaction date” of payment.
DHS said local authorities did not honor the request and released him anyway. On April 22, ICE tracked Kumar down and arrested him.
“Every time sanctuary politicians release a dangerous criminal illegal alien back into our communities, they are gambling with American lives,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. “We are grateful to our ICE law enforcement officers who tracked this killer down to ensure he’s permanently removed from America’s highways and can never harm another American family again.”
According to DHS, Kumar entered the U.S. illegally near Lukeville, Arizona, on Nov. 28, 2022. The Biden administration released him into the country. Then, sanctuary politicians “continued to provide cover for this illegal alien” who never should have been in the country in the first place.
The Biden administration gave him a work authorization in 2023, and Newsom’s California issued the CDL.
Court records show that he pleaded not guilty to all charges on March 30 and his trial is now scheduled for Jan. 19, 2027.
Kumar’s release order included electronic monitoring requirements. Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney Ben Becker filed a motion April 22 seeking to revoke Kumar’s release, stating that Kumar had failed to comply with electronic monitoring, the Lookout reported.
Andrew Ince, the public defender representing Kumar, told the Lookout that Oregon law generally allows bail in most criminal cases. His legal team didn’t make a special motion seeking Kumar’s release from jail, Ince said.
Oregon law doesn’t allow for a trial on such serious charges without the defendant present for the proceedings, so it likely would not proceed if Kumar remains in ICE custody or is deported, Ince said.
DHS officials vowed in December to “make all necessary efforts to bring Kumar into custody should he be released from custody.”
Kumar is being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, and has been placed in removal proceedings.
