The Illegal Who Killed A Man While Driving A Semi Had Been Deported 16 Times And Had No License

Posted • August 30, 2024: The driver of a semi-truck involved in a deadly Denver, Colorado crash last week was in the U.S. illegally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told The National Desk (TND) Wednesday. Mexican citizen Ignacio Cruz-Mendoza, 47, entered the U.S. illegally in 2002, according to ICE. An immigration judge later the same year ordered he be removed from the country after being arrested on local charges in Oregon. Cruz-Mendoza has since either been removed from the U.S. or voluntarily returned to Mexico 16 times. The Mexican national reportedly received charges of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, driving a commercial vehicle with no qualifications and reckless driving related to the June 11 crash on US Highway 285. He allegedly drove off the road while hauling pipes and angle iron, rolling the semi onto its side, according to ABC7 Denver. The load fell on top of five vehicles, killing one driver and injuring another, the outlet reported.

Officers closed the highway for over 12 hours following the incident. ICE says it has filed a detainer, which requests that local authorities hold a suspect while it weighs further removal proceedings.