Truck Driver Arrested By ICE Immediately After Release By Police; Faces Deportation

India-West News Desk

TACOMA, WA – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it has arrested Indian national Rajinder Kumar after local authorities in Oregon released him from custody following a 2025 crash involving a semi-truck that killed two newlyweds in Deschutes County.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Kumar is now being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, and has been placed in removal proceedings.

Authorities said the crash happened on Nov. 24, 2025, on U.S. Highway 20. Officials alleged Kumar’s semi-truck and trailer jackknifed, blocking both lanes of traffic. A Subaru Outback then collided with the truck.

The victims were identified as William Micah Carter and Jennifer Lynn Lower. Reports cited by DHS said the couple had been married for 16 days.

DHS said Oregon officials released Kumar from jail on April 2, 2026, despite an immigration enforcement request. ICE later took him into custody on April 22.

The department also said Kumar entered the United States near Lukeville, Arizona, in November 2022 illegally and was later released pending immigration proceedings.

DHS further stated that Kumar had received work authorization and a commercial driver’s license in California.