During his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump made it clear that if he returned to the Oval Office, his administration would prioritize enforcement actions against illegal immigrants who commit crimes inside the United States.

Such a scenario unfolded in Indiana last week, when a man was killed after being hit by a truck driver who not only lacked the required commercial operator’s license, but whose immigration status has now resulted in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer on the accused, as Fox News reports.

Indiana man killed by semi-truck

The tragic crash at issue took place on U.S. 20 near Douglas Drive in Portage on Wednesday afternoon.

Police subsequently revealed that a Ram Sprinter van had slowed to a stop, waiting to make a left turn.

It was then that a similarly eastbound Freightliner tractor-trailer approached without slowing, ultimately undertaking an evasive turn that caused it to veer into westbound traffic.

The semi-tractor, operated by Broko Stankovic of Illinois, then collided with a Subaru Crosstrek, leaving its 54-year-old driver dead at the scene.

Though the Sprinter van was pushed into a road sign after the tractor-trailer jackknifed, neither its driver nor Stankovic suffered serious injuries.

Arrest, ICE detainer follow collision

The police investigation that commenced in the crash’s immediate aftermath revealed that Stankovic lacked a commercial driver’s license (CDL), and his company did not have valid registration with the Department of Transportation.

What’s more, Stankovic was found to possess a suspended CDL issued in Illinois, though it belonged not to him, but to a family member.

As a result of the incident, Stankovic was charged with one count of criminal recklessness resulting in death and a count of reckless homicide, both felony offenses.

While Stankovic was en route to the Porter County jail, it was determined that an ICE detainer was to be placed as a result of his immigration status.

WGN News spoke with Porter County prosecuting attorney Gary Germann and asked whether the ICE action could prevent local prosecution of Stankovic, and he indicated his belief that the federal government will likely permit the case to proceed normally.

Trucking safety takes center stage

The tragedy in Indiana comes at a time of heightened focus on the immigration status of those operating large trucks on America’s roadways, a push that followed a crash in Florida that was allegedly caused by an illegal immigrant from India who had received operator’s licenses in both California and Washington, as CBS News explained.

With Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently pledging to withhold federal money from states that do not enforce English-language proficiency standards for commercial license recipients, and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier suing California and Washington to halt the practice of giving such licenses to illegal immigrants, it is clear that this is not an issue that is going away anytime soon, and that is something for which all Americans can be grateful.