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An illegal immigrant from India accused of causing a crash that killed a newlywed couple in Oregon has been arrested by federal immigration authorities after being released from jail, officials said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Tuesday that Rajinder Kumar, 32, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after being released by what the agency called “Oregon sanctuary politicians.”
Kumar allegedly jackknifed his semi-truck and trailer, blocking both lanes of U.S. Highway 20 in Deschutes County on Nov. 24, according to Fox 12 Oregon.
A Subaru Outback then collided with the truck, killing driver William Micah Carter and passenger Jennifer Lynn Lower, DHS said. The couple had been married for just 16 days.
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ICE lodged an immigration detainer against Rajinder Kumar, who is allegedly behind a fatal crash that killed a newlywed couple, according to the Department of Homeland Security. (Department of Homeland Security/Reuters)
DHS said Oregon officials declined to cooperate with ICE and released Kumar on April 2. ICE agents arrested him April 22 and he is now being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma pending deportation proceedings.
Kumar has been charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment, DHS said.
According to DHS, Kumar entered the U.S. illegally near Lukeville, Arizona, in November 2022 and was later released into the country by the Biden administration. He was granted work authorization in 2023 and obtained a commercial driver’s license in California.
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William Micah Carter and Jennifer Lynn Lower were killed in a crash in Oregon just 16 days after getting married, according to the Department of Homeland Security. (Department of Homeland Security)
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis blamed California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration for issuing the license.
“This illegal alien was issued a CDL by Gavin Newsom’s California,” Bis said in a statement. “He then went on to recklessly drive a truck on America’s highways and KILL two honeymooners.”
“Instead of cooperating with ICE law enforcement, Oregon sanctuary politicians RELEASED him from jail back into American communities,” she added.
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Rajinder Kumar, a 32-year-old Indian national, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being released from an Oregon jail, according to the Department of Homeland Security. (Department of Homeland Security)
Bis said sanctuary policies endanger public safety.
“Every time sanctuary politicians release a dangerous criminal illegal alien back into our communities, they are gambling with American lives,” Bis added. “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.”
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Digital has reached out to Newsom’s office for comment and DHS for clarification on Oregon officials’ level of cooperation.
Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
