A six-car pile-up involving a school bus in Washington state has reignited debates over sanctuary policies after authorities released the driver responsible — an undocumented immigrant with multiple deportations and DUI convictions who was illegally operating a commercial semi-truck.
Juan Hernandez-Santos, who has been deported from the United States twice before, caused the multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 5 near Martin Way in Lacey, Washington on December 4, 2025. Despite not possessing a commercial driver’s license, Hernandez-Santos was behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler when the accident occurred, according to Department of Homeland Security officials.
Released Despite ICE Detainer
The crash blocked all lanes of traffic and sent three people to the hospital. Local authorities charged Hernandez-Santos with driving without a license in the first degree and set bail at just $1,000. Despite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer request, Thurston County officials released him, adhering to Washington state’s sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
“This dangerous illegal alien has a criminal history including multiple DUIs, possessing a controlled substance, and two prior removals from the U.S.,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “He was a walking public safety threat and illegally was driving a massive 18-wheeler when he caused a six-car pile-up involving a school bus on the highway in Washington. Thankfully, no children were in the bus. This story could have had a very different tragic ending.”
McLaughlin didn’t mince words about who she believes is responsible: “The sanctuary politicians in Washington failed once again to protect American citizens by refusing to honor our ICE arrest detainer.”
History of Deportations and Criminal Activity
Hernandez-Santos’ history with U.S. authorities stretches back nearly two decades. He was first deported on February 24, 2005, and again on June 7, 2006, before illegally re-entering the country a third time at an unknown location and date, DHS officials confirmed.
His criminal record in the United States includes multiple driving-related offenses. On May 24, 2008, he was arrested for driving without a license in Los Angeles. Just two weeks later, on June 7, he was arrested again for DUI and hit-and-run with property damage.
The arrests continued. In November 2018, he faced charges for possession of a controlled substance, followed by a second DUI arrest by the Los Angeles Police Department on February 24, 2020.
How was someone with this record able to operate a commercial vehicle on American highways? That’s the question federal authorities are now asking as they point to what they describe as the dangerous consequences of sanctuary policies.
Part of a Troubling Pattern
Federal officials say the Washington incident is part of a disturbing nationwide trend involving undocumented immigrants operating commercial vehicles without proper licensing or legal status.
“In recent months, we’ve seen a disturbing pattern of criminal illegal aliens driving commercial vehicles on American roads, directly threatening public safety and resulting in senseless loss of life,” DHS stated in a release following the incident.
The agency pointed to several recent enforcement actions targeting this issue. In October, a 287(g) operation — a program that allows state and local law enforcement to partner with ICE — resulted in the arrest of 146 undocumented immigrants operating commercial trucks. That same month, ICE arrested 91 individuals without legal status who were driving 18-wheelers in Indiana.
Perhaps most alarming was the November arrest of Akhror Bozorov, an undocumented Uzbek national wanted in his home country for alleged terrorism ties, who was working as a commercial truck driver in Kansas despite having no legal status in the U.S.
In August, another case grabbed headlines when ICE placed a detainer on Harjinder Singh following his arrest for three counts of vehicular homicide while driving a semi-truck in Florida.
The Hernandez-Santos case highlights the ongoing tension between federal immigration enforcement priorities and local sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with ICE. For now, a driver with multiple deportations and DUIs is back on the streets — while federal officials warn it’s only a matter of time before the next incident occurs.
