Shapiro Rebuts DHS: Pennsylvania Says Truck Driver in Fatal Indiana Crash Had Legal Status in Federal Records

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's office pushed back Thursday against assertions from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about the immigration status of a semitrailer driver involved in a crash that killed four people in Indiana. The driver, Bekzhan Beishekeev, was placed into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after a detainer was filed.

DHS told reporters that Beishekeev, a 30-year-old national of Kyrgyzstan, entered the United States on Dec. 19, 2023, at the Nogales, Arizona, port of entry using the CBP One app and was released into the country on parole. The department also noted that Beishekeev later obtained a Pennsylvania commercial driver’s license (CDL).

The Indiana State Police is investigating the crash in Jay County.

DHS Statement: "Not only was Bekzhan Beishekeev released into our country by the Biden administration using the CBP One app, but he was also given a commercial driver’s license by Governor Shapiro’s Pennsylvania. These decisions have had deadly consequences and led to the death of four innocent people in Indiana on Tuesday," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

Shapiro's office countered that Pennsylvania followed federal verification procedures before issuing the CDL. A spokesperson for the governor emphasized that applicants for non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses must provide proof of identity and legal presence, which is checked through the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Shapiro Spokesperson: "Every person who applies for a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license issued by PennDOT must provide proof of identity and proof of their legal presence in the United States. That information is verified by the federal SAVE database, administered by the United States Department of Homeland Security. The individual in question had legal status in the SAVE database when the license was issued in July 2025 and still shows as eligible to receive a license as of today," Alex Peterson, a spokesperson for Governor Shapiro, said.

The fatal crash occurred Feb. 3 at about 4:00 p.m. on Indiana State Route 67. According to DHS and Indiana State Police, Beishekeev was driving eastbound and allegedly did not slow for a semitruck ahead that had reduced speed. Authorities say he then veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a van carrying 15 passengers. Four people in the van were killed. State and local agencies — including the Indiana State Police, the Jay County Sheriff’s Department and the Jay County Coroner’s Office — are investigating the incident.

Bekzhan Beishekeev, left, has been taken into ICE custody following a fatal crash on Feb. 3, 2026, in Jay County, Indiana, near the state's border with Ohio.

DHS and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) have previously warned about risks tied to CDL issuance practices in some states after multiple fatal crashes allegedly involved drivers who were later determined to lack lawful status. In its statement on this case, DHS cited a separate incident in which ICE arrested Akhror Bozorov, a 31-year-old Uzbek national who had been driving commercially with a Pennsylvania-issued CDL and was alleged by DHS to be wanted in his country of origin.

Both sides framed the dispute as part of a broader debate over federal parole processes, state CDL policies, and public safety. Investigations into the Indiana crash are ongoing and authorities have not released final conclusions about cause or responsibility.