Indian trucker in fatal Washington crash had entered the United States illegally

New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 13, 2025 04:24 IST

An Indian national charged in a fatal Washington truck crash had previously been caught crossing the US border illegally and released, ICE says, prompting renewed scrutiny of immigration policy and commercial driver oversight.

An Indian national now charged in a deadly truck crash on a Washington state highway had previously been detained for illegally entering the United States but was released into the country, a senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said.

The driver, 25-year-old Kamalpreet Singh, is facing vehicular homicide charges in King County after his Freightliner Cascadia slammed into a stopped Mazda on State Route 167 near Auburn, killing 29-year-old Robert B. Pearson of Bonney Lake. The crash happened just after 7 a.m. on Thursday as morning traffic slowed to a crawl.

According to Fox News, Singh was arrested by US Border Patrol in Lukeville, Arizona, on December 24, 2023, after crossing illegally into the US, but he was released into the country by the Biden administration. ICE has now placed a detainer on him, requesting custody if he is released from local jail.

CHAIN REACTION CRASH

Washington State Patrol investigators say the deadly collision unfolded when two vehicles had already come to a stop in the northbound lane and Singh failed to brake in time. His semi plowed into a Mazda 3, crushing it between his Freightliner and a Peterbilt truck ahead. The Mazda briefly caught fire, but troopers quickly extinguished the flames.

https://x.com/wsdot_traffic/status/1999144371770335622?s=20

Pearson died at the scene. Singh and the Peterbilt driver were not injured, and investigators say drugs and alcohol do not appear to be factors.

POLITICAL REACTION

The incident is drawing attention far beyond the highway. In Washington, D.C., Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X. A Fox News report on Singh’s immigration status as he renewed his call for tighter enforcement of federal commercial driver regulations. Duffy said the case highlights gaps that put motorists at risk and urged states to step up compliance immediately.

https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/1999570596754006402?s=20

WHITE HOUSE REACTS

The case has now drawn comment from the highest levels of government. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the incident underscored the risks posed by unvetted drivers on American highways.

“As I said during the White House press briefing yesterday, unqualified illegal alien drivers are a public safety threat,” Leavitt said.

She added that President Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy “will aggressively enforce our laws to protect the safety of American truckers, drivers, and passengers by ensuring anyone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle is here legally, properly qualified, and proficient in our national language — English.”

Immigration officials, meanwhile, say the crash raises familiar concerns. “This is another example of an undocumented individual involved in a fatal crash after being released at the border,” the ICE official said, stressing that Singh has no connection to two other Indian nationals with the same last name who are facing homicide-by-vehicle charges in California and Florida.

Local prosecutors in King County are now reviewing the case as the federal detainer remains active.

Singh’s arrest is likely to feed into broader political battles over border policy and trucking safety standards. For now, investigators are focused on how an undocumented individual who entered the country illegally was able to secure work driving a heavy commercial vehicle — and how a routine traffic slowdown turned into a fatal chain-reaction that cost a young man his life.

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