A 16-year-old from Colombia has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after causing a fatal car crash in Aurora, Colorado, that claimed the life of 24-year-old Kaitlyn Weaver. The teen, who entered the U.S. illegally, was behind the wheel without a license when he ran a red light at over 90 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone last July.
Weaver, a recent college graduate and addiction recovery worker, was critically injured in the crash and later died after being kept on life support to donate her organs.
Despite the severity of the incident, the teenager was sentenced to just two years of probation and 100 hours of community service under a plea deal. The leniency of the sentence sparked public outrage and criticism from law enforcement officials, prompting ICE to intervene.
The agency later confirmed that the teen and his family were taken into custody. Authorities reported that the boy’s mother had attempted to send him back to Colombia shortly after the crash, but he remained in the U.S. to seek asylum.
Weaver’s father expressed anger and grief, calling the crash a tragic consequence of failures in both immigration and criminal justice systems. The incident has reignited national debates on immigration enforcement and judicial accountability.