Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is looking to deport an illegal immigrant semi-truck driver who allegedly killed a Pennsylvania State Trooper in a devastating crash.
Haitian national Michael Bon allegedly struck and killed Pennsylvania State Trooper Michael Pahira Jr., 44, while he was inspecting a vehicle on the shoulder of Interstate 81 in Cass Township last Wednesday morning. ICE has since filed a detainer asking local authorities to hand Bon over for deportation, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Monday.
Bon allegedly struck Pahira and dragged him under the truck “for quite some distance down the road” as it caught fire, Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens said during a recent press conference.
Both vehicles burst into flames at the scene of the collision. Pahira later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
The 20-year state police veteran had just moved back in with his parents to care for his mother, who is battling cancer, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said during the press conference.
“The man died a hero,” Bivens said. “He was an outstanding trooper, an excellent motor carrier enforcement officer … had been doing it for a number of years and was considered to be one of our best.”
Pennsylvania State Police
The Biden administration released Bon into the United States in July 2024 under its signature humanitarian parole program that allowed certain migrants to fly directly to the United States to bypass the border, according to Fox News. He later applied for Temporary Protected Status, but was denied the deportation shield, DHS said.
Federal authorities terminated Bon’s parole status in June 2025, ordering him to leave the United States, according to Fox News. Still, Bon remained.
He obtained a Massachusetts commercial driver’s license in March 2025, which was renewed in February 2026, Fox News reported.
“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,” Acting Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement Monday.
“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,” Bis added.
Authorities charged Bon with vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter, according to CBS Pittsburgh. He is being held on $700,000 bail at Schuylkill County Prison, according to Fox News.
Following a series of recent crashes involving illegal immigrant truckers, the Trump administration has tightened restrictions on the issuance of commercial driver’s licenses.
Among those actions, the Department of Transportation has pushed to enforce English language requirements for truckers and has threatened to withhold federal funding from states issuing licenses to illegal aliens.
“These senseless tragedies are why I am working my heart out to change the policies that encouraged illegal drivers, enabled shady trucker schools, and drove down the wages for American truckers,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in an X post after the latest fatal crash.
“Trooper Pahira — Rest in peace,” he added.
.png)
.png)
