A lifelong Democrat whose newlywed son and daughter-in-law were killed in a crash involving an illegal immigrant truck driver is pleading with her party to change course on immigration, saying she is “ashamed” of how her party has handled the issue.
“I was shocked and heartbroken to hear that the man responsible for our son and daughter-in-law’s death, the driver of the 18-wheeler that they collided with, that he was a part of Biden’s catch-and-release policy,” angel mom Elizabeth Carter told “Hannity” Thursday.
Carter’s son, William Micah “Billy” Carter, 25, and his wife, Jennifer Lynn Lower Carter, 24, were killed in November 2025, when their Subaru struck a tractor-trailer that had jackknifed across both lanes of U.S. Highway 20 in Oregon. The couple had been married for just 16 days.
The truck’s driver, Indian national Rajinder Kumar, was charged following the crash and has pleaded not guilty. Federal immigration authorities who later took him into custody say Kumar entered the U.S. illegally near Lukeville, Arizona, in November 2022 and was released by the Biden administration, pending immigration proceedings.
He later received work authorization and a CDL issued in California, according to Houston’s FOX 26.
“If it weren’t for that, our son and daughter-in-law would still be alive,” Carter said, pinning blame on both federal and state policies that made the tragedy possible.
The heartbroken mother’s comments came after speaking on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, when she pleaded for lawmakers to make changes to immigration policies.
ICE LAUNCHES CDL FRAUD TIPLINE AS DHS HIGHLIGHTS DEADLY CRASHES INVOLVING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
“[My son and daughter-in-law] lost the Russian roulette game our government is forcing them to play,” she said.
“We allowed 10 million people in under Biden. How is there a different suggestion as to how to process them other than the same way they came into the country, en masse, leaving?”
“I have to say, as a lifelong Democrat, I am ashamed of what my party is doing.”
Carter’s husband, Dennis, also voiced frustration Thursday, focusing his criticism on policies that allowed Kumar to obtain a CDL.
“Just because someone is incompetent and can’t do the job that they wanted to do, just because they got here, that doesn’t mean, ‘Okay, they’re here, we should give them a job that they can’t do and just turn them loose on the road,’” he told “Hannity.”
Dennis identified himself as a lifelong Republican and also offered a contrast to his wife’s political background, saying their marriage demonstrates that political differences do not have to become personal divisions.
“We have learned that the two parties can exist in the same household, and we actually get along,” he said.
Elizabeth agreed, saying the couple knows “how to disagree without tearing each other apart” and instead tries to better understand the issues on which they differ.
Elizabeth also imparted a challenge to the Democratic Party during her appearance, pleading for them to “grow up” and start communicating with ICE at the state level.
