A commercial motor vehicle driven by a man without a CDL was involved in a six-vehicle crash that injured three people, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.
DHS identified the driver as Juan Hernandez-Santos, who was said to be in the U.S. illegally. The Dec. 4 crash in Lacey, Wash., involved multiple vehicles, including a school bus. Three individuals were hospitalized.
In a news release from Dec. 11, DHS reported that Hernandez-Santos didn’t possess a CDL but was driving a truck. The agency also said Hernandez-Santos has had multiple arrests involving driving under the influence and controlled substances.
“This dangerous illegal alien has a criminal history including multiple DUIs, possessing a controlled substance and two prior removals from the U.S. 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,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “Thankfully, no children were in the bus. This story could have had a very different, tragic ending.”
DHS said local authorities failed to honor an ICE detainer because of Washington’s sanctuary policies, and he was released from custody.
“The sanctuary politicians in Washington failed once again to protect American citizens by refusing to honor our ICE arrest detainer,” McLaughlin said.
Attempts by Land Line to obtain more details about the crash and incident weren’t immediately successful.
In recent months, DHS said it has seen “a disturbing pattern of criminal illegal aliens driving commercial vehicles on American roads.”
Last month, ICE agents arrested 31-year-old Akhror Bozorov – a Uzbekistan national driving truck in the U.S. – wanted for belonging to a terrorist organization.
He was arrested Nov. 9 while working as a commercial truck driver in Kansas.
DHS’s news release says that Bozorov entered the U.S. illegally in February 2023. After being arrested by U.S. Border Patrol, he was released by the Biden administration and granted “work authorization” in January 2024. Bozorov was issued a commercial driver’s license on July 25, 2025, in Pennsylvania. LL
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