ICE returns Oregon truck driver to state custody after fatal crash

Rajinder Kumar, 32, has been returned to Oregon state custody to face felony charges for the November 2025 highway crash that killed two newlyweds. The transfer occurred earlier this month at the passenger window of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle. Federal agents prepared to hand Kumar over to local authorities to begin his criminal prosecution.

The incident stems from a collision on U.S. Highway 20 near Bend, Oregon. On November 24, 2025, Kumar allegedly jackknifed his commercial tractor-trailer, blocking both lanes of traffic. William Micah Carter, 25, and his wife Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24, were driving their Subaru Outback. The car struck the semi, killing both passengers at the scene. The couple had been married for only 16 days.

Kumar faces two counts of first-degree manslaughter and three counts of recklessly endangering another person in Deschutes County. A grand jury indicted him following the wreck. He entered a not guilty plea in state court. A jurisdictional dispute between federal and local officials delayed his trial after his initial release.

Immigration records indicate Kumar entered the United States without authorization near Lukeville, Arizona, on November 28, 2022. U.S. Border Patrol apprehended him at the time. He was released into the country under the Biden administration while removal proceedings were pending. During that period, he received federal work authorization and later obtained a commercial driver's license from the State of California.

After his indictment, ICE lodged an immigration detainer with Deschutes County Jail. Federal agents requested notification before any release. County corrections officials declined to honor the detainer on April 2. They released Kumar into the community in accordance with Oregon’s state sanctuary policies.

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Seattle agents located and arrested Kumar on April 22. They detained him at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, to advance federal removal proceedings. Acting Field Office Director Julio Hernandez stated that two Americans lost their lives and their families deserve accountability. He added that the coordinated action ensures an individual accused of these crimes does not evade justice.

DHS officials confirmed that federal deportation proceedings are currently paused. This pause allows Oregon state prosecutors to pursue the criminal charges. Trial proceedings are pending in Deschutes County Circuit Court.