Charged in the Deaths of Two Newlyweds, a Trucker Left an Oregon Jail on Bond. ICE Says the County Ignored Its Detainer.
On Oct. 15, 2026, ICE turned Rajinder Kumar over to Oregon state officials to face prosecution in the deaths of two newlyweds killed in a Highway 20 crash near Brothers on Nov. 24, 2025. ICE says Deschutes County released him on bond in April despite an immigration detainer.
Kumar is charged with two counts of first-degree manslaughter and three counts of recklessly endangering another person, and has pleaded not guilty. He is presumed innocent. His trial is set for Jan. 19, 2027, per The Post Millennial.
ICE’s account and the county’s differ, and the families of the victims have said they wanted a trial, not a deportation. Here is what the record shows.
- 5countstwo first-degree manslaughter, three reckless endangering; not-guilty pleas — KTVZ
- Apr. 2release on bondfrom Deschutes County Jail, per DHS and The Blaze; ICE re-arrested him Apr. 22 — DHS; ICE
- Oct. 15turned over to OregonICE says it returned him to state custody to face the charges — ICE release
- Jan. 192027 trial dateset after a bench warrant was issued, per The Post Millennial — The Post Millennial
ICE’s Oct. 15 release says Kumar was apprehended by Border Patrol near Lukeville, Arizona, on Nov. 28, 2022, and released pending immigration proceedings. DHS says he was “released by the Biden administration.” ICE says it lodged a detainer after the crash and that Deschutes County released him in April anyway; ICE re-arrested him on April 22.
Acting ICE Seattle Field Office Director Julio S. Hernandez, in the Trump administration, said in the release that two Americans lost their lives and their families deserve accountability. An immigration judge ordered Kumar removed on July 1, per ICE’s statement to The Post Millennial, and ICE says it will pursue removal after the state case.
Oregon State Police say Kumar’s semi jackknifed across both lanes of U.S. 20 on Nov. 24, 2025, and the couple’s Subaru struck it. DHS names the two victims as William Micah Carter and Jennifer Lynn Lower; they were newlyweds in their mid-20s. DHS announced the detainer on Dec. 1; a Deschutes County grand jury returned a five-count indictment in early December and bail was set at $500,000, per KTVZ.
Bail was later reduced to $250,000, per The Blaze. DHS, The Blaze and Landline report that a bond was posted and Kumar left the jail on April 2, 2026. DHS says he held a California commercial driver’s license; Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA)’s office referred questions about it to the DMV, per KMPH.
The ICE release says the county ignored its detainer. Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels told the Lookout that his office sought a warrant and that “federal actions are beyond our control,” and cited ORS 181A.826, an Oregon provision restricting information-sharing with federal immigration authorities. No source we found quotes the DA or the sheriff on the April release itself.
A detainer is a request, not a judicial warrant, and Oregon is a sanctuary state in DHS’s description. Gov. Tina Kotek (D-OR) leads that state; no source we found quotes her on this case. DHS’s statement blamed “Oregon sanctuary politicians” for releasing Kumar “back onto the streets of Oregon.”
Tina Kotek (D-OR) — Governor of Oregon; state sanctuary law is the policy frame DHS invokes. No quote on this case.
Steve Gunnels — Deschutes County District Attorney (nonpartisan office); sought the warrant and says federal actions are beyond his control.
Gavin Newsom (D-CA) — California governor; his office referred questions about Kumar’s California CDL to the DMV.
Julio S. Hernandez — Acting Field Office Director, ICE ERO Seattle; Trump administration.
The victims’ parents told reporters in May and June they feared Kumar would be deported without a trial. Elizabeth Carter told The Blaze in June that the family wanted a trial. Fox News and KMPH report that Carter testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Sept. 15 at a hearing on sanctuary policies. Judge Wells Ashby issued a bench warrant on Oct. 2, per The Post Millennial, which also reports that Gunnels said on Oct. 7 that Kumar’s return depended on federal authorities.
“I think Billy and Jenny deserve justice, but so does Mr. Kumar.”
Elizabeth Carter, mother of a crash victim — via The Blaze, June 2026
A counterweight belongs in the record: Oregon State Police found that darkness and “a lack of active emergency warning equipment” were a primary contributor to the crash, per the Lookout. That finding is not a defense of Kumar’s driving; it is the investigators’ account of the conditions.
Established: Kumar is charged, and pleaded not guilty; a county jail released him on bond on April 2; ICE re-arrested him April 22; ICE turned him over to Oregon on Oct. 15. Not established: whether the county was required to honor a detainer, why the jail released him, and any verdict. DHS and ICE supply his immigration history; we found no independent verification of it.
A county jail released a trucker charged with two counts of manslaughter on bond, and ICE says the county ignored its detainer. The county’s DA says Oregon law limited its cooperation. ICE has now handed Kumar back to face trial on Jan. 19, 2027. He is presumed innocent.
