A semi-truck driver identified by Fox News as an illegal immigrant from India has been released from jail on a $100,000 bond after being accused of causing a fatal crash in Washington State that killed a 29-year-old local man.
Kamalpreet Singh, who was previously detained by Border Patrol, but released into the U.S., is facing charges of vehicular homicide for the collision that claimed the life of Robert B. Pearson.
The incident has immediately drawn sharp criticism from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials who are speaking out against Washington’s status as a sanctuary state and the immigration policies that allowed Singh to remain in the country.
Crash details and policy controversy
Singh allegedly crashed his Freightliner truck into the back of a 2010 Mazda 3 sedan driven by Pearson on State Route 167. The force of the collision crushed the sedan between Singh’s truck and a 2016 Peterbilt truck that had stopped ahead. Pearson was killed instantly in the highly destructive crash, which was quickly followed by a fire in the Mazda’s engine compartment.
The Washington State Patrol confirmed that drugs or alcohol were not factors and that the cause of the collision remains under investigation. Singh and the driver of the Peterbilt were not injured. Singh was released from King County Jail, a facility within a sanctuary jurisdiction. It is not clear whether the facility ignored a detainer request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
DHS criticizes release and administration
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin publicly condemned the situation.
“These demented and dangerous sanctuary policies have deadly consequences,” McLaughlin said, according to Fox News.
McLaughlin directly linked the fatal outcome to immigration enforcement.
“Robert Pearson would still be alive today if the Biden Administration hadn’t released this illegal alien into our country,” McLaughlin said. “How many more Americans have to be killed before Democrat politicians start to put the public’s safety ahead of politics?”
ICE sources confirmed that Singh was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the border illegally in Arizona on December 23, 2023, but was subsequently released into the country instead of being detained. Singh now faces vehicular homicide charges in the state of Washington.
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