A Kenyan national has been arrested by US immigration authorities following a tractor-trailer crash in Hamblen County, Tennessee.
The man, identified by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as Eric Maloba, was arrested on August 28 after the accident.
According to ICE, Maloba has a commercial driver’s license that was issued in Texas and he was also allegedly training a commercial driver when the accident occurred.
As per US immigration officials, Maloba had entered the country legally back in December 2018 but the authorized period of stay expired in April 2019.
Maloba has been taken into custody by ICE and is currently being held while immigration proceedings are ongoing against him.
Immigration proceedings will help determine his immigration status and if he will be deported from the US.
As per ICE, the arrest has been carried out with the assistance of a local law enforcement agency that has been working in coordination with 287(g) program.
The case comes as immigration enforcement partnerships continue to expand in Tennessee.
ICE said on September 9 that it had 120 law enforcement partners under the 287(g) programme in the state. Nationwide, the agency said it had 2,466 agreements with local law enforcement agencies.
Maloba’s arrest also comes amid increased attention on commercial driving and immigration status in Tennessee.
The state has introduced measures requiring local law enforcement agencies to work with federal immigration authorities under the 287(g) programme.
For now, Maloba remains in ICE custody as his immigration case proceeds.