Illegal Indian Arrested In US For 'Theft' Of Lethal Powder Worth $3-Million

Democrat Gavin Newsom-led California is once again at the center of an immigration storm in the United States after an illegal Indian immigrant was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Pennsylvania with nearly $3 million in stolen powder in his truck. Deepak Kumar, 31, had a California-issued commercial driver's license, according to US media reports. 

Kumar's arrest records showed that he was caught hauling 10 pallets of stolen tungsten oxide powder, valued at $2,857,500. The powder is used in armor-piercing rounds, ceramics, lasers, optical products, and high-tech windows.

The shipment reportedly belonged to Mitsubishi Materials Corporation and was slated for a June 24 pickup. The pickup was delayed a day, and everything seemed to be going smoothly until, on June 26, the company said they could no longer get hold of the driver, according to a New York Post report.

Authorities then used a Flock camera -- a specialised Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) device --  to spot Kumar's truck on June 27. Officers said when they apprehended the driver, he provided three forms of identification to investigators: an invalid work visa, a fake New York State license, and a valid California driver's license.

Kumar was later arrested on charges of theft and sent to McFarland, California, under ICE custody.

It is not clear if Kumar stole the consignment or it was delayed due to communication issues. 

The California Criticism

Kumar's California commercial driver's license has fueled fresh criticism about Democrat-led US state's policy of allowing migrants to get federally issued Employment Authorisation Documents (EADs) to obtain commercial driver's licenses. The arrest comes amid the Donald Trump administration's continued criticisms of arrests involving illegal immigrants in California.

Team Trump has accused Newsom of making California a "sanctuary state" for truckers, arguing Sacramento chose to turn temporary federal work documents into commercial driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants, creating what they call a dangerous loophole.