A California-issued commercial driver’s license put an illegal Indian migrant behind the wheel of a big rig before authorities say he was caught hauling nearly $3 million worth of stolen tungsten oxide powder and wound up in ICE custody.
The case is fueling fresh criticism of California’s policy of allowing migrants with federally issued Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) to obtain commercial driver’s licenses.
Rajinder Kumar was able to legally receive a California CDL because he possessed a valid federal work permit during Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration.
Critics have accused California of acting as a “sanctuary state” for truckers, arguing Sacramento chose to turn temporary federal work documents into commercial driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, creating what they call a dangerous loophole.
The controversy follows the arrest of Fresno trucker Deepak Kumar, 31, who Pennsylvania authorities say was caught hauling 10 pallets of stolen Tungsten Oxide Powder valued at $2,857,500.
The shipment belonged to Mitsubishi Materials Corporation and was scheduled for pickup on June 24.
The pickup was delayed by one day, but company officials raised the alarm after they could no longer reach the driver on Friday, June 26.
Investigators tracked the truck the next day using a Flock camera system.
According to the arrest record, Kumar presented officers with three forms of identification: an invalid work visa, a fraudulent New York State license and a valid California driver’s license.
He was arrested on theft charges and later transferred to McFarland, California, where he remains in ICE custody.
The stolen Tungsten Oxide Powder is used in armor-piercing rounds, ceramics, lasers, optical products and high-tech windows.
The arrest comes as federal immigration authorities continue spotlighting arrests involving illegal immigrants in California.
In a post this week, the US Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector said agents from its Indio station arrested “an illegal alien from Mexico” working as an agricultural worker in Thermal, Calif., whose previous charges include:
- Rape of a drugged victim
- Sodomy of a drugged victim
- Forced assault with a deadly weapon
- Prevent or dissuade witness or victim
The enforcement action drew praise online. One Instagram user commented on the US Border Patrol El Centro Sector account: “Good job to the ICE AGENTS! This is what we voted for.
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