Trucker accused in fatal crash previously entered US illegally, federal source reveals

A truck driver who allegedly killed three people in a reckless driving incident in Virginia immigrated to the United States illegally in the nineties, according to a federal law enforcement source.

El Hadji Karamoko Ouattara, a 58-year-old African immigrant, is charged in the fatal crash after he drove his tractor-trailer off the shoulder of Interstate 81 and crashed into a minivan, killing three people, including a two-year-old child, and injuring three others, according to local sources. WFXR.

The victims were transported to a nearby hospital, the source said. Among the injured, 65-year-old Lorraine Renee Williams, 49-year-old Ebony Latasha Williams and 2-year-old Shazziyah Lesley died. A 63-year-old man, a 73-year-old man and a 10-year-old woman were also injured but survived, according to the outlet.

WFXR reported that Ouattara was initially charged with reckless driving.

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However, Outtara is now charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter for the Dec. 22 incident, according to the Roanoke County Sheriff’s Office. He resides in Montgomery Village, Maryland, the office said.

A federal law enforcement source told Fox News that Ouattara is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Ivory Coast. The source stated that although Ouattara entered the United States illegally in the 1990s, he eventually received a green card and became a naturalized citizen.

This comes at a time of growing awareness and national concern about untrained, unskilled illegal immigrant drivers on U.S. roads.

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Mugshots of five alleged illegal immigrants from across the United States accused of fatal car crashes. From left to right, the trophies of Noelia Sarah Martinez-Avila, Juan Alfredo Chavarria-Lezama, Lionel Francisco, Mukendi Mbiya and Harjinder Singh are placed above a photo depicting the scene of a fatal accident for which Singh was charged. (ICE, Dane County Sheriff’s Office, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office)

Earlier this month, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy provided an update on his agency’s work with the Department of Homeland Security to combat the influx of illegal immigrants issued nonresident commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) without proper review, which has led to scores of deaths on America’s highways.

Duffy took action earlier this year after an Indian citizen named Harjinder Singh, who authorities said had been issued a CDL by California, allegedly killed a carload of people after attempting an illegal U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike.

Duffy shared that the DOT has been pushing for compliance from problem states offering illegal CDLs, and California has since revoked 17,000 problem non-resident CDL licenses.

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks at a press conference at Newark Liberty International Airport Terminal A in Newark, New Jersey, on November 24. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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“We’re going to use every resource and every tool we have at the DOT to make sure we have the right people on the road who are well-qualified and well-licensed. Those people who are proficient in English to make sure we maximize safety,” Duffy said.

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.