Indian trucker arrested after Oregon crash that killed newlywed couple

Highlights:

A tragic crash on a remote Oregon highway has led to the arrest of Rajinder Kumar, a 32-year-old Indian national who federal records say entered the US illegally in 2022. The accident killed a newlywed couple and triggered renewed debate about immigration enforcement, trucking safety standards, and state sanctuary policies.

The crash happened on November 24, when Kumar was driving a Freightliner semi-truck along a dark stretch of Highway 20 in Deschutes County. According to reports from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office and Oregon State Police, the truck jackknifed across both lanes of the highway.

Investigators said there were no emergency warning devices placed on the roadway to alert approaching drivers. At highway speed, a westbound Subaru Outback collided with the side of the trailer.

The crash killed the Subaru's driver, 25-year-old William Micah Carter of Springfield, and his 24-year-old wife, Jennifer Lynn Lower of John Day. The couple had married only sixteen days earlier, and the news of their deaths has shaken local communities.

Kumar was not injured in the crash. He was arrested at the scene and has been charged with two counts of criminally negligent homicide and one count of reckless endangerment. Jail records list him as living in Fresno, California. Although he posted bail, he remained in custody because he could not surrender a passport, which is required to secure his release. Her pretrial release hearing is set for Wednesday (3).

On Monday (1), the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that Kumar crossed into the US near Lukebilla, Arizona, on November 28, 2022. The DHS and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said he was released pending immigration proceedings under federal policy at the time.

In 2023, he received work authorization. He later obtained a California commercial driver's license (CDL), a detail that has attracted political attention, especially from critics of immigration policy.

ICE has filed an immigration detainer with the Deschutes County Jail, meaning federal officials want custody of Kumar if he is released by the court. However, ICE noted that Oregon's sanctuary laws may make taking custody more difficult. A DHS statement, quoted by multiple US media outlets, described Kumar as a 'criminal illegal alien from India' and criticized federal border policy and California's licensing rules.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin questioned how many tragedies it would take before “sanctuary politicians stop allowing illegal aliens to dangerously operate semi-trucks on America’s roads.”

California’s AB 60 law allows undocumented people to receive non-commercial driver’s licenses, but commercial licenses generally require verification of legal immigration status.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration estimates suggest that undocumented drivers represent eight to ten percent of the U.S. trucking workforce, with higher concentrations in some states, including California.

Kumar’s case is the fourth in 2025 where ICE has issued an immigration detainer against a truck driver involved in a fatal crash. Court hearings in the coming weeks will determine whether Kumar continues in local custody or is transferred to federal immigration authorities.