ICE returns truck driver accused in deadly crash to Bend for trial, but will still seek deportation after
BEND, Ore. -- A truck driver accused of causing a crash east of Bend in late 2025 that killed a newlywed couple has been returned to state custody, U.S. Immigrations and Customs enforcement announced Friday.
A judge last month issued a $1 million warrant for Kumar. However, ICE also said that after Rajinder Kumar's trial, now scheduled for next January, they will pursue his deportation once again.
Kumar, an undocumented immigrant from India, was involved in the fatal car crash in November of 2025. William Carter and Jennifer Lower were killed in the crash.
Investigators say Kumar's semi-truck jackknifed across Highway 20, blocking the roadway outside Brothers. According to the family, the truck was stretched across the highway with no warning lights, flares, cones or emergency signals to alert approaching drivers.
ICE's move to deport Kumar before he could be tried and detention in Tacoma, Wash., greatly upset family members and Oregon lawmakers. A judge in Bend issued a $1 million warrant for his arrest after ICE took him into custody
Kumar was booked back into the Deschutes County Jail on Thursday, where he is being held without bail. He had been released on bail in April, wearing a GPS ankle monitor, and ICE agents took him into custody several days later.
Here's the full ICE news releease:
ICE turns over criminal illegal alien charged in newlyweds’ deaths to Oregon state officials for prosecution after county ignored detainer
Kumar illegally entered the US under the Biden administration and now faces 2 first-degree manslaughter charges
BEND, Or. — ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Seattle transferred Rajinder Kumar, a 32-year-old criminal illegal alien from India to Oregon state custody to face prosecution in connection with the deaths of two newlywed Americans.
Kumar has been indicted in Deschutes County, Oregon, on two counts of first-degree manslaughter and three counts of recklessly endangering another person. The charges stem from a November 2025 tractor-trailer accident and remain pending in Oregon state court.
“Two Americans lost their lives, and their families deserve accountability. ICE worked closely with law-enforcement partners to ensure Kumar is returned to state custody to answer for the serious charges against him,” said ICE ERO Seattle acting Field Office Director Julio S. Hernandez. “This coordinated action protects the public, supports the victims’ families, and ensures that an individual accused of these crimes does not evade justice. ICE will continue using every lawful tool available to protect the American people from criminal activity committed by illegal aliens.”
U.S. Border Patrol apprehended Kumar near Lukeville, Arizona, on Nov. 28, 2022, after he illegally entered the United States from Mexico. He was placed in removal proceedings. A pending application does not confer legal status in the United States.
Following his indictment on the manslaughter and reckless-endangerment charges, ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the Deschutes County Jail. In April 2026, Deschutes County released Kumar from custody without honoring ICE’s detainer.
ICE officers subsequently located and arrested Kumar on April 22, 2026.
Following the conclusion of state criminal proceedings, ICE will pursue Kumar’s immigration case consistent with federal law.
Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin’s public-safety priorities, ICE remains focused on enforcing immigration law, supporting victims of crime, and protecting the American people.
