Oregon Highway Tragedy: Mother Speaks to Driver Charged in Fatal Crash

The driver charged with killing two newlyweds in a November 2025 highway collision in Oregon is now in state custody, a development that resolves a months-long jurisdictional dispute between local and federal authorities. The change in status follows a direct interaction between the driver and the mother of one of the victims, captured on video by federal immigration agents.

Elizabeth Carter, 58, spoke to Rajinder Kumar, 32, through the window of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle earlier this month. The meeting occurred as federal agents prepared to hand Kumar back to Oregon officials to face criminal prosecution. Carter, who is fighting back tears in the recording released by the ICE Victims of Immigrant Crime Engagement office, told Kumar, “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.”

Kumar is accused of jackknifing his commercial tractor-trailer across both lanes of U.S. Highway 20 on November 24, 2025. The collision killed William Micah Carter, 25, and his wife, Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24. The couple had been married for 16 days. Their Subaru Outback struck the semi, and both passengers died at the scene.

Deschutes County prosecutors have charged Kumar with two counts of first-degree manslaughter and three counts of recklessly endangering another person. He pleaded not guilty in state court. However, his path to trial was complicated by his immigration status and a disagreement over who should hold him while the case proceeds.

Records indicate Kumar entered the United States unlawfully near Lukeville, Arizona, on November 28, 2022. U.S. Border Patrol apprehended him and released him into the country pending removal proceedings. During that time, he was granted federal work authorization and obtained a commercial driver's license from California.

After a Deschutes County grand jury indicted him, ICE placed an immigration detainer on Kumar. This federal notice required the jail to alert ICE before releasing him. On April 2, county corrections officials declined to honor the detainer and released Kumar into the community under Oregon’s state sanctuary policies.

Federal agents from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Seattle tracked Kumar down and arrested him on April 22. He was held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, while federal removal proceedings moved forward. The agency later decided to return him to state custody to ensure he faces the felony manslaughter charges before any deportation orders are executed.

Julio Hernandez, the acting Field Office Director for ICE ERO Seattle, said the coordinated action supports the victims' families. “Two Americans lost their lives, and their families deserve accountability,” Hernandez said. He added that the move protects the public and ensures the accused does not evade justice.

Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed that federal deportation proceedings are paused while Oregon state prosecutors pursue the criminal charges. The trial is pending in Deschutes County Circuit Court.