A Kenyan Man has been taken into custody by United States immigration authorities after a tractor-trailer crash in Tennessee exposed questions over his immigration status.
The man, identified as Eric Maloba, was arrested in Hamblen County after the accident and subsequently transferred to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the agency, Maloba was in the United States in violation of immigration requirements at the time of his arrest. ICE said Maloba had entered the US legally in October 2018 but remained in the country beyond the period he was authorised to stay, with his lawful period of admission expiring in April 2019.
The immigration agency said Maloba possessed a commercial driver’s licence issued by the State of Texas. At the time of the crash, investigators reportedly found that he was involved in training another individual who was seeking to obtain a commercial driver’s licence.
ICE said the arrest was carried out through a local law-enforcement agency participating in the federal government’s 287(g) programme, which allows designated state and local officers to perform specified immigration enforcement duties in cooperation with ICE. “A 287(g) Task Force partner arrested Eric Maloba, an illegal alien from Kenya, following a tractor-trailer crash,” ICE said in a statement.
The agency said Maloba was subsequently placed in immigration custody, where he will remain as his removal proceedings are considered. His arrest has also been cited by ICE as part of a wider effort by the administration of President Donald Trump to enforce immigration laws against people it says are unlawfully present in the country.
The agency has increasingly focused on immigration compliance within the commercial trucking sector, particularly involving drivers holding commercial licences. ICE said the case underscored what it considers the need for stronger cooperation between federal immigration authorities and state and local law-enforcement agencies. Through the 287(g) programme, ICE says participating agencies can assist in identifying and arresting individuals who may be subject to removal from the United States.
Maloba’s case will now proceed through the US immigration system, where authorities will determine the next steps concerning his immigration status and potential removal from the country.
