Grieving Mother Meets Oregon Crash Driver in Emotional ICE Video

An emotional video released by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office shows a grieving mother delivering a message of compassion to the man accused of killing her son and his wife. The footage, provided by the Victims of Immigrant Crime Engagement (VOICE) office, captures Elizabeth Carter speaking with Rajinder Kumar, a 32-year-old Indian national who entered the United States without lawful status.

Carter, the mother of William Micah Carter, addressed Kumar while he was being transported in an ICE vehicle. The couple Carter lost perished in a fatal collision on an Oregon highway in November 2025. During the interaction, which took place at the passenger window of the vehicle earlier this month, Carter spoke through tears. She 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.”

The meeting occurred as federal agents prepared to transfer Kumar back to Oregon state custody so he could face criminal prosecution. Kumar faces two counts of first-degree manslaughter and three counts of recklessly endangering another person in Deschutes County. The charges stem from a wreck that claimed the lives of Carter, who was 25, and his wife, Jennifer Lynn Lower, who was 24. The two had been married for only 16 days before the accident.

The deadly collision took place on November 24, 2025, when Kumar allegedly jackknifed his commercial tractor-trailer across U.S. Highway 20. The maneuver reportedly blocked both lanes of traffic, leading to a crash involving the couple’s Subaru Outback. Both passengers died at the scene.

Following the indictment by a Deschutes County grand jury, Kumar pleaded not guilty in state court. However, a jurisdictional dispute arose between federal and local authorities after his initial release. Court and immigration records indicate that Kumar entered the U.S. near Lukeville, Arizona, on November 28, 2022. He was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol and released into the country pending removal proceedings, a process that occurred under the Biden administration.

During his time in the country, Kumar was granted federal work authorization and later obtained a commercial driver’s license issued by the State of California. After his indictment in Oregon, ICE lodged an immigration detainer, requesting that Deschutes County Jail notify federal agents before his release. County corrections officials declined to honor the detainer on April 2, releasing Kumar into the community in accordance with Oregon’s state sanctuary policies.

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) agents in Seattle tracked down and arrested Kumar on April 22 in connection with his immigration case. He was detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, while federal removal proceedings moved forward. The agency has since returned him to Deschutes County authorities to ensure he faces a local trial on the felony manslaughter charges before any deportation orders are executed.

Julio Hernandez, the acting Field Office Director for ICE ERO Seattle, stated that the families of the two Americans who lost their lives deserve accountability. He noted that the coordinated action between ICE and law enforcement partners supports the victims' families and ensures the accused does not evade justice.

Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed that federal deportation proceedings are currently paused. This allows Oregon state prosecutors to pursue the criminal charges against Kumar, with trial proceedings pending in the Deschutes County Circuit Court.