Federal immigration authorities have confirmed that the semi-truck driver arrested after a serious DUI collision with a Washington State Department of Transportation snowplow on Interstate 90 is an illegal immigrant, raising new questions about public safety and the states controversial sanctuary policies.
According to The Post Millennial, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has already moved to intervene in the case. An ICE spokesperson told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, Enforcement and Removal Operations Seattle lodged an immigration detainer on January 18 with the Kittitas County Jail for Nursultan Rysbekov, following his arrest by the Washington State Patrol. The crash occurred the night of January 17 on eastbound I-90 near Kittitas.
It remains uncertain whether Washingtons sanctuary framework will allow that detainer to be honored, or whether local authorities will again release a criminal suspect back into the community.
According to WSDOT, one of its snowplow drivers was actively applying de-icing material to the roadway when the plow was struck by a semi-truck. The impact forced the plow into the median, where it rolled over. Our snowplow driver was actively applying product to the road when a semi-truck struck his vehicle, WSDOT said in a statement. The impact caused our plow to enter the median and roll over.
The snowplow operator was transported to a hospital in Ellensburg for evaluation and was later released. WSDOT officials said the driver was experiencing soreness but did not suffer serious injuries. Agency officials did not mince words about the severity of the incident, calling the crash inexcusable and highlighting the risks their crews face when other motorists ignore basic safety. When our plows are actively treating the roads, they must drive slower than normal to apply product effectively and evenly, WSDOT said.
Do not crowd or pass our plows while theyre working. We want everyone to get home safely at the end of the day. Washington State Patrol arrested the semi-truck driver at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence. Kittitas County jail records show Rysbekov is still in custody in the Kittitas County Corrections Center on $50,000 bail for DUI and reckless endangerment of an emergency zone worker. As of the most recent jail records, formal charges had not yet been filed in court.
ICE has identified Rysbekov as an illegal immigrant and confirmed that an immigration detainer has been placed, requesting notification before any release from local custody. In a statement, the ICE spokesperson said, Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the US. The agencys language reflects a renewed emphasis on law and order and border enforcement, in sharp contrast to the lenient posture of the Biden years.
The spokesperson continued, Those who are here illegally can take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens$2,600and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the US, the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return. That message underscores a broader conservative argument that the rule of law and legal immigration must be restored if Americans are to be protected from repeat offenders.
However, it remains to be seen if the detainer will be honored in Washingtons self-declared sanctuary environment. Mike Faulk, spokesperson for Attorney General Nick Brown, told The Ari Hoffman Show in a statement, DUI cases are usually prosecuted at the local level in the jurisdiction where the alleged events occurred, not through our office. State law governs how those jurisdictions would respond to detainer requests, referring to the Keep Washington Working Act, which established the Evergreen State as a so-called sanctuary jurisdiction. That law restricts cooperation with federal immigration authorities, a policy critics say prioritizes ideological signaling over the safety of law-abiding residents.
Recent history in Washington underscores why many conservatives view this latest case as part of a troubling pattern rather than an isolated incident. Last year, Kamalpreet Singh, an illegal immigrant from India who crossed in 2023 and was released under the Biden administration, was arrested for vehicular homicide after allegedly killing a young father, and was later released on bond despite an ICE detainer.
The month before, a school bus pileup was allegedly caused by Mexican national Juan Hernandez-Santos, who DHS said had multiple DUIs, prior removals, and no CDL, yet was released despite an ICE detainer under sanctuary policies.
These incidents have fueled growing outrage among residents who believe their communities are being put at risk by policies that shield criminal illegal aliens from removal. The Rysbekov case now serves as another test of whether Washington officials will cooperate with federal authorities or again allow an accused drunk driver in the country illegally to walk free.
For families who rely on safe roads, and for workers like the WSDOT plow operator who narrowly escaped serious injury, the answer to whether this detainer is honored may signal whether the state is prepared to put public safety ahead of sanctuary politics.
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