Federal agents return Oregon truck driver to state jail

Federal immigration officials handed a semi-truck driver back to Oregon state authorities earlier this month. The move places Rajinder Kumar in Deschutes County Jail to stand trial for a fatal highway crash that killed two young adults. Kumar, 32, had been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Washington state since April. He is charged with two counts of first-degree manslaughter and three counts of recklessly endangering another person.

The charges stem from a collision on U.S. Highway 20 on Nov. 24, 2025. Kumar allegedly jackknifed his commercial tractor-trailer, blocking both lanes of traffic. A Subaru Outback driven by William Micah Carter, 25, struck the rear of the vehicle. Carter and his wife, Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24, died at the scene. The couple had been married for only 16 days.

Records show Kumar entered the United States near Lukeville, Ariz., on Nov. 28, 2022. He was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol and released pending removal proceedings under the Biden administration. During that period, he received federal work authorization and a California commercial driver's license. A Deschutes County grand jury indicted him after the crash, and he pleaded not guilty in state court.

A jurisdictional conflict arose after his initial arrest. ICE lodged a detainer requesting that Deschutes County Jail notify federal agents before release. County corrections officials declined to honor the detainer on April 2, citing Oregon state sanctuary policies. They released Kumar into the community. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Seattle agents located and arrested Kumar on April 22. He was held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Wash., while removal proceedings advanced.

ICE agents facilitated a video call between Kumar and Elizabeth Carter, the mother of the deceased driver. The footage, released by the ICE Victims of Immigrant Crime Engagement office, shows Carter speaking through the passenger window of an ICE vehicle. "Hello Mr. Kumar, my name is Elizabeth Carter; I'm William Micah Carter's mother," Carter said. She told Kumar, "I pray for you and your family, I know you didn't get up that morning planning to kill two newlyweds."

Julio Hernandez, acting Field Office Director for ICE ERO Seattle, stated that the return of Kumar ensures he faces local trial before deportation orders are executed. "Two Americans lost their lives, and their families deserve accountability," Hernandez said. "This coordinated action protects the public, supports the victims' families, and ensures that an individual accused of these crimes does not evade justice."

Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed that federal deportation proceedings are paused. Criminal trial proceedings remain pending in Deschutes County Circuit Court, where prosecutors will pursue the felony manslaughter charges against Kumar.