The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have criticized local officials in Washington State for not honoring an ICE detainer for Kamalpreet Singh, a truck driver from India accused of causing a fatal crash on December 11. According to authorities, Singh entered the United States illegally in 2023 near Lukeville, Arizona, and was released by federal authorities.
Local reports indicate that Singh failed to slow down on a freeway in Washington State, leading to a collision involving multiple vehicles. The car he struck caught fire, resulting in the death of Robert Pearson, age 29. The incident caused significant damage to several vehicles and blocked the roadway for nearly seven hours.
DHS officials stated that an ICE arrest detainer had been lodged for Singh but was not honored due to sanctuary policies adopted by local politicians. "These demented and dangerous sanctuary policies have deadly consequences," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "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?"
Federal officials highlighted similar cases from recent months involving non-citizen commercial drivers who were charged with serious crimes following vehicle accidents across several states including Washington, Oregon, Florida, and California. In each case, ICE reported that arrest detainers were either ignored or followed by release due to local sanctuary policies.
DHS emphasized its ongoing efforts to protect communities from such incidents and noted that victims of crimes committed by non-citizens can seek assistance through the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office.
