Elizabeth Carter told lawmakers she is “ashamed” of her party’s immigration stance after her newlywed son, daughter-in-law and their cat were killed by an illegal immigrant truck driver.
Carter, a self-described “lifelong Democrat,” gave emotional testimony before Congress this morning about the late November crash that claimed three lives. Her son, William Micah Carter, his wife Jennifer Lower, and their cat “Bert” died when their vehicle slammed into a jackknifed big rig on their return from the couple’s wedding reception in Oregon.
“Sixteen days after they were married, Billy, Jenny and her cat Bert were killed. They lost the Russian roulette game our government is forcing them to play,” Carter testified.
The truck was driven by Rajinder Kumar, an illegal immigrant who had been issued a commercial driver’s license by California. The crash has become part of a broader pattern of deadly incidents involving licensed illegal immigrant drivers that has drawn increasing scrutiny from the Trump administration.
Rep. Brad Knott, R-NC, pressed Carter during questioning about Democratic resistance to stricter immigration enforcement. “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?” Carter said.
She added, “I have to say, as a lifelong Democrat, I am ashamed of what my party is doing.”
Knott responded bluntly: “Well, they don’t care.”
The North Carolina Republican framed the issue as a fundamental question of law enforcement. “This is the question for the country to consider, is it worth enforcing our laws to protect just one American family?” he asked.
“One party says, ‘Absolutely, if we have to mass deport the problem that they built, so be it,'” Knott continued. “If it protects one family from having to suffer like you’ve suffered, I think that is a worthwhile endeavor.”
He gestured toward Democratic committee members and exclaimed, “They are still defending it. Not one of them will say, if you’re here illegally, get out.”
The hearing comes as the administration intensifies its focus on commercial driver’s license fraud. Last week, ICE launched a new tipline for Americans to report suspected CDL fraud, part of a broader crackdown on unqualified truckers.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin tied the initiative directly to roadway deaths in comments to Fox News Digital. “Too many American lives have been lost or permanently changed because illegal aliens who have no business being on our roads have been granted CDLs,” he said.
“ICE and our federal partners, including the Department of Transportation, will be cracking down on CDL fraud so that not one more American life is lost to a reckless illegal alien behind the wheel of a semi-truck,” Mullin added.
The Carter family had gathered to celebrate William and Jennifer’s marriage in her hometown before the fatal return trip. The couple had been married just over two weeks.
The tipline launch signals expanded federal coordination between immigration and transportation authorities on commercial licensing verification.