Mother of Fatal Crash Victims Forgives Accused Driver in Emotional ICE Encounter

Elizabeth Carter held back her tears. She walked straight up to Rajinder Kumar. He sat inside a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle, waiting to move to Oregon. Authorities there want him to answer for manslaughter. The man she faced was an illegal immigrant truck driver. He was accused of killing her son and daughter-in-law in a nasty highway crash.

William Micah Carter was 25. His bride, Jennifer Lynn Lower, was 24. They had been married only 16 days when the disaster struck. Their Subaru Outback hit a commercial tractor-trailer on US Highway 20. Kumar allegedly jackknifed his rig across both lanes of traffic. The collision happened on November 24, 2025. Both young people died at the scene.

Carter did not scream at the driver. She did not throw punches. Instead, she told him she had been praying for him. ICE’s Victims of Immigrant Crime Engagement (VOICE) office released video of the moment.

"Hello Mr. Kumar, my name is Elizabeth Carter; I'm William Micah Carter's mother," she said. Her voice cracked with emotion. "And I wanted you to know that I pray for you and your family, I know you didn't get up that morning planning to kill two newlyweds. And I know your family is going through something important too."

The legal mess deepened quickly. A Deschutes County grand jury indicted Kumar. He faces two counts of first-degree manslaughter. There are also three counts of recklessly endangering another person. He has pleaded not guilty.

Then came the custody fight. Federal agents clashed with local officials over who should hold him. Court records cited by Fox News paint a stark picture. Kumar entered the United States illegally near Lukeville, Arizona, on November 28, 2022. Border Patrol agents caught him. Under the Biden administration, they released him into the country while he awaited immigration proceedings.

He later got federal work authorization. He obtained a California commercial driver's license. This allowed him to operate large trucks despite his unresolved status. After his indictment in Oregon, ICE issued an immigration detainer. They asked the Deschutes County Jail to notify federal agents before releasing him.

County corrections officials refused. They cited Oregon's sanctuary policies. They let Kumar go on April 2.

The deadly jackknife accident occurred on US Highway 20 on June 24, 2025. Kumar was behind the wheel of a commercial tractor-trailer when the vehicle folded across the pavement. Federal immigration agents tracked him down and arrested him two months later, on April 22. He spent time in custody at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, while authorities prepared his removal from the country.

That process has hit a pause. The federal government stepped aside to let Oregon prosecutors handle the criminal case. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Seattle confirmed that Kumar is back in Deschutes County custody. He faces trial for the crash that killed two people.

Accountability matters here. Acting Field Office Director Julio Hernandez stated that two Americans lost their lives, and their families deserve answers. Hernandez explained that ICE worked closely with law enforcement partners. Their goal was to ensure Kumar returns to state custody to answer for the serious charges. This coordinated effort prevents him from slipping through the cracks while supporting the victims' families.

The criminal trial remains pending in Deschutes County Circuit Court. Any federal deportation action is postponed until the state proceedings are resolved.