According to ICE, 30-year-old B. B. was arrested in the morning hours of February 5 and will remain in custody until immigration procedures are completed.
The accident that claimed the lives of four people occurred on February 3 at approximately 4 PM on State Route 67. According to the police, the truck driver allegedly failed to brake in time before the vehicle ahead, crossed into oncoming traffic, and collided with a minibus carrying up to 15 passengers.
Detained suspect. Photo from the ICE website.
The investigation of the incident is being conducted by law enforcement agencies in the state of Indiana and the Jay County Sheriff's Office.
ICE submitted a request for the man's arrest on February 4, after which he was handed over to federal authorities with the assistance of local law enforcement.
The agency noted that the Kyrgyz citizen had previously entered the U.S. "illegally" and obtained a commercial driver's license in Pennsylvania.
Trisha McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, stated that decisions regarding the driver's admission to the country and the issuance of his license "led to the deaths of four innocent people."
ICE also mentioned other cases of detaining commercial drivers without legal immigration status, which they believe "may pose a threat to public safety." These include the arrest of a citizen of Uzbekistan wanted in his country on charges of connections with a terrorist organization, as well as the detention of truck drivers in Indiana as part of Operation Midway Blitz. A request was also previously submitted for the detention of a driver arrested in Florida on charges of three counts of involuntary manslaughter due to a traffic accident.
