‘Lifelong Democrat’ mom tearfully tells Congress she’s ‘ashamed’ of party after illegal immigrant trucker killed newlywed son

BS BULLETIN:

Elizabeth Carter told Congress her son William “Billy” Carter and his new wife, Jennifer Lower, were killed just 16 days after their wedding.
The couple struck a jackknifed semi in Oregon driven by Rajinder Kumar, an Indian national authorities said was living in the U.S. illegally.
Carter, who called herself a “lifelong Democrat,” said she is now “ashamed” of her party’s approach to immigration.

A grieving mother delivered some of the most powerful testimony on Capitol Hill Tuesday — and she wasn’t interested in making the immigration debate abstract.

Elizabeth Carter told the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement about her son, William Micah “Billy” Carter, and his new wife, Jennifer Lower.

They had been married for only 16 days when they were killed.

A self-described “lifelong Democrat” told Congress she is “ashamed” of her party after her son and his new bride were killed in a crash involving an illegal immigrant truck driver licensed by California.

Elizabeth Carter testified that her son William and his wife Jennifer were… pic.twitter.com/EOq8Y19yBb

— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) September 15, 2026

The newlyweds and their cat, Bert, died in November 2025 after their vehicle struck a tractor-trailer that had jackknifed across Highway 20 near Brothers, Oregon.

The truck was driven by Rajinder Kumar, an Indian national whom Oregon State Police identified as living in the United States without legal status.

“Sixteen days after they were married, Billy, Jenny and her cat Bert were killed,” Carter told lawmakers. “They lost the Russian roulette game our government is forcing them to play.”

Carter also testified about something that has become a major issue in the national fight over commercial driver’s licenses.

California had issued Kumar a commercial driver’s license.

According to Carter, Kumar could not speak, read or write English or Spanish — the languages she said were available for the California test.

“[Rajinder Kumar] does not speak, read, or write English or Spanish, and those are the only languages the test is given in California.”

Carter then addressed the argument that immigration enforcement should concentrate on immigrants with serious criminal histories.

She said Kumar had no prior criminal record before the crash that killed Billy and Jenny.

“People keep mentioning that ‘we’re not deporting the worst of the worst’… Mr. Kumar did not have a criminal record before Billy and Jenny were killed.”

Carter also described the legal complications the family says it has encountered in Oregon, telling lawmakers that state restrictions on cooperation with federal immigration authorities have left them fearing Kumar could be deported before the criminal case against him is completed.

“I have also learned that in Oregon, if the prosecutor tries to coordinate with ICE, that could mean that the charges are immediately dropped. They’re tying our hands.”

The Carter family has previously made clear that it does not want Kumar deported before he faces trial.

“We just want justice,” Billy’s father said in June.

Then Carter made the testimony intensely political — and personal.

She described herself as a “lifelong Democrat” but told lawmakers that the death of her son had changed how she views her party’s immigration policies.

“I am ashamed,” Carter said.

The hearing, titled “The Continuing Tragedy of Sanctuary Laws,” also featured testimony from another parent who lost a child and from Broome County, New York, Sheriff Frederick Akshar II.

For Carter, however, the argument came down to two people who should have been starting their married life together.

Billy and Jenny never got the chance.