Immigration officers picked up an Indian driver who was arrested following a hit-and-run crash that injured a 4-year-old boy but then released by California’s sanctuary officials.
Aman Kumar, an illegal alien from India, is now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Kumar is another Biden-era catch-and-release migrant. He illegally entered the United States in California in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
FRESNO, CA: @ICEgov has arrested Aman Kumar, a criminal illegal alien from India who was RELEASED by California sanctuary politicians after causing a hit-and-run accident that injured a 4-year-old boy.
Thanks to the brave men and women of ICE law enforcement, this MONSTER can no… pic.twitter.com/9b2ljBDf1A
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 20, 2026
Kumar, 31, was identified as the driver of a vehicle that struck a 4-year-old boy in Fresno, California, on April 28. He fled the scene and was arrested by the Fresno Sheriff’s Department the next day and charged with a felony hit and run: death or injury.
However, due to California’s soft-on-crime policies, he bailed out of Fresno County Jail.
Local authorities could transfer jailed illegal immigrants with an active ICE hold to federal custody. Instead, they ignore the request and release them.
On May 13, ICE law enforcement arrested Kumar outside the California Superior Court, County of Fresno.
“This monster who almost killed a 4-year-old boy has been charged with a felony hit and run,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. “DHS is calling on Governor Gavin Newsom and his fellow California sanctuary politicians to stop putting American lives at risk by releasing criminals into our communities to commit more crimes and hurt more innocent people.”
According to local reports, the crash occurred around 8 p.m. April 28 in Fresno after the 4-year-old wandered out of a neighbor’s yard and into the street.
The Fresno Police Department responded to the scene. Based on witness accounts, the child was playing in the backyard while his father and uncle worked on a car. He left the yard through a gate without the adults noticing and walked into the road.
Witnesses reported that drivers stopped in the road when they saw the child in the street. Kumar’s vehicle entered the bike lane to go around the stopped traffic and then struck the victim.
The child was taken to a hospital for treatment and initially listed in critical but stable condition, police said.
Kumar fled the scene, but witnesses got his license plate number. Police located him at a nearby residence and arrested him in the early morning hours of Wednesday, April 29. Despite charges for felony hit-and-run, he was allowed to bond out of jail.
Initial local reporting on the accident did not mention anything about Kumar’s immigration status.
The Fresno Bee published an update on Kumar’s ICE arrest, writing “DHS accuses Kumar of being an undocumented immigrant from India who came to the United States in 2023.”
The Fresno Bee posted a video from Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni discussing the TRUTH Act.
Zanoni said undocumented residents should not be afraid to report crimes, noting that gang members have targeted undocumented individuals and preyed on their fear of contacting law enforcement.
However, he concludes the video saying the sheriff’s office, including deputies and jail staff, won’t ask victims or suspects of crime about their immigration status.
“We’re dealing with individuals who have committed crimes,” Zanoni said in the video. “Not crimes because they’re undocumented here. Real crimes like armed robbery, felony burglaries, felony domestic violence, felony false imprisonments and things like that. Our goal is if you don’t set foot in the Fresno County Jail, you have no worry about the sheriff’s office when you’re out there in the community.”
In February, outgoing ICE Director Todd Lyons sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta “calling on him to put the safety of Americans first” and honor ICE arrest detainers.
There are more than 33,000 illegal aliens with active detainers in the custody of a California jurisdiction, DHS said. California’s failure to honor ICE detainers has resulted in the release of 4,561 criminal illegal aliens since Jan. 20, 2025.
