The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged an immigration detainer against the Haitian man charged in the crash that claimed the life of Pennsylvania State Police Trooper First Class Michael E. Pahira Jr. in Schuylkill County.
In a news release issued July 6, DHS said ICE filed the detainer one day after the arrest of Michael Bon, the Massachusetts truck driver accused of causing the July 1 crash along Interstate 81.
Bon is charged in Schuylkill County with vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter, and other offenses following the crash that killed Pahira while he was conducting a commercial vehicle inspection on the shoulder of Interstate 81 near Delano Township.
According to DHS, Bon is a Haitian national who entered the United States in July 2024 after being released by federal authorities. The agency said he later applied for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in October 2024, but that application was never approved.
DHS also stated that Bon was issued a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Along with its release, the agency published photographs of Bon and an image of his Massachusetts-issued CDL.
In the statement, Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis criticized immigration policies and Massachusetts' issuance of the CDL.
"This Haitian illegal alien was RELEASED into our country by the Biden Administration, and the sanctuary state of Massachusetts gave him a Commercial Driver's License," Bis said. "Now, because of these reckless policies, a Pennsylvania State Trooper is dead after a crash that was 100% preventable. Illegal aliens should not be driving trucks on America's highways. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and the Pennsylvania State Police as they mourn this loss."
The release also confirmed that ICE has requested Pennsylvania authorities notify the agency before Bon is released from custody so federal immigration authorities can take him into custody.
Trooper Pahira, a nearly 20-year veteran of the Pennsylvania State Police, was fatally injured when investigators say Bon's tractor-trailer struck him while he was inspecting another commercial vehicle on the shoulder of Interstate 81. Pahira later died from his injuries.
Bon remains incarcerated in Schuylkill County after being denied bail.
In a news release issued July 6, DHS said ICE filed the detainer one day after the arrest of Michael Bon, the Massachusetts truck driver accused of causing the July 1 crash along Interstate 81.
Bon is charged in Schuylkill County with vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter, and other offenses following the crash that killed Pahira while he was conducting a commercial vehicle inspection on the shoulder of Interstate 81 near Delano Township.
According to DHS, Bon is a Haitian national who entered the United States in July 2024 after being released by federal authorities. The agency said he later applied for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in October 2024, but that application was never approved.
DHS also stated that Bon was issued a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Along with its release, the agency published photographs of Bon and an image of his Massachusetts-issued CDL.
In the statement, Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis criticized immigration policies and Massachusetts' issuance of the CDL.
"This Haitian illegal alien was RELEASED into our country by the Biden Administration, and the sanctuary state of Massachusetts gave him a Commercial Driver's License," Bis said. "Now, because of these reckless policies, a Pennsylvania State Trooper is dead after a crash that was 100% preventable. Illegal aliens should not be driving trucks on America's highways. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and the Pennsylvania State Police as they mourn this loss."
The release also confirmed that ICE has requested Pennsylvania authorities notify the agency before Bon is released from custody so federal immigration authorities can take him into custody.
Trooper Pahira, a nearly 20-year veteran of the Pennsylvania State Police, was fatally injured when investigators say Bon's tractor-trailer struck him while he was inspecting another commercial vehicle on the shoulder of Interstate 81. Pahira later died from his injuries.
Bon remains incarcerated in Schuylkill County after being denied bail.