WASHINGTON, DC – This week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement criticized Washington state and local officials for declining to honor an ICE detainer for an undocumented truck driver involved in a fatal multi-vehicle crash earlier this month, saying the decision allowed a public safety risk to remain on the roads.
According to DHS and ICE, the driver, Kamalpreet Singh, an Indian national, was released from custody despite an ICE arrest detainer following a December 11 freeway crash in Washington state that killed 29-year-old Robert Pearson.
Local reports cited by federal officials say Singh failed to decelerate in traffic and struck the rear of another vehicle, pushing it into a third. The vehicle Singh struck caught fire, and Pearson was pronounced dead at the scene. Two vehicles were totaled and a third sustained major damage. The crash shut down the roadway for nearly seven hours.
Federal authorities said Singh entered the United States illegally in 2023 near Lukeville, Arizona, and was released pending immigration proceedings.
“These demented and dangerous sanctuary policies have deadly consequences,” Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Robert Pearson would still be alive today if the Biden administration hadn’t released this illegal alien into our country. How many more Americans have to be killed before Democrat politicians start to put the public’s safety ahead of politics?”
Washington is among states and jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, including declining to honor ICE detainers in some cases. State and local officials have argued such policies help maintain trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities and focus limited resources on local priorities.
The case is the latest cited by ICE as part of what it described as a troubling pattern involving undocumented immigrants operating commercial vehicles.
Earlier this month, ICE said it lodged a detainer for Juan Hernandez-Santos, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico accused of causing a December 4th crash in Lacey, Washington, while driving an 18-wheeler. The wreck involved six vehicles, including a school bus. ICE said the detainer was not honored and Hernandez-Santos was released.
In November, ICE lodged a detainer for Rajinder Kumar, an undocumented immigrant from India charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangering after a fatal semi-truck crash in Deschutes County, Oregon, that killed two people.
ICE also cited several other recent cases, including the August arrest of Harjinder Singh in Florida on three counts of vehicular homicide, and the August arrest of Partap Singh in California following a multi-car pileup that critically injured a 5-year-old girl. In October, ICE lodged a detainer for Jashanpreet Singh, who authorities say killed three people in California while driving an 18-wheeler under the influence.
ICE officials said they are urging state and local governments to cooperate with federal detainers involving serious criminal allegations, arguing that refusal to do so endangers public safety. State and local officials named by ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tim Lantz
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