The family of Bekzhan Beishekeev, a Kyrgyzstani truck driver detained in the USA after a tragic traffic accident, has made a plea to their country's diplomats. They hope that their relative will not become a victim of the anti-immigrant wave in America. In their opinion, the incident should be viewed as an accident, and they are urging Kyrgyzstan to provide legal support to Bekzhan. The incident, in which four people died, occurred on February 3.
Ruslan, Bekzhan's older brother, shared his feelings about the situation that led to his younger brother being in the spotlight at a White House briefing, where he was labeled an illegal immigrant responsible for the deaths. According to Ruslan, their mother, who is worried about her son, is particularly struggling with all of this. She suffers from high blood pressure and is bedridden.
“All this negative attention on social media has hit her very hard. Bekzhan is her youngest son, and she cannot cope with it,” noted Ruslan Koigeldiev from Bishkek.
Bekzhan has always dreamed of living in America and moved there two years ago, obtaining a truck driver’s license and getting a job with a logistics company.
Unfortunately, two weeks ago, an accident occurred. Video footage from his vehicle shows him driving on the road, following another truck that suddenly slowed down. Bekzhan did not manage to brake in time and, trying to avoid a collision, veered into the oncoming lane, where he collided with a minibus carrying passengers.
As a result of the accident, three passengers died at the scene, and another one died in the hospital. Discussions about the causes of the incident began online. Some point to a possible failure to maintain distance, others suggest that he may have been distracted by his phone, while others believe he may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
“Social media claims that he supposedly fell asleep at the wheel. This is not true! — asserts Ruslan. — Company representatives stated that Bekzhan drove only 600 miles in three days, so the version that he fell asleep does not hold water,” added Bekzhan's brother.
After the accident, Bekzhan was detained and initially placed in the Jay County Jail, then transferred to an immigration detention center in Fort Wayne. U.S. authorities labeled him an illegal immigrant, claiming that he entered the country illegally through the CBP One app.
The incident became the subject of a briefing at the White House, where press secretary Caroline Levitt showed journalists his photo, stating that the tragedy could have been avoided if the administration of former President Joe Biden had not allowed such cases.
Many Kyrgyzstani individuals working in the trucking industry in the USA believe that this case has gone beyond criminal news and has become part of the political discourse in the country.
“When everyone says the driver was illegal, that is not true. How could he be illegal if he has a status issued by the previous government? Without that status, it is impossible to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License. They know this very well,” stated Timur Tilenov, founder of a logistics company in the USA.
Bekzhan Beishekeev's future in the USA remains uncertain. His family reports that the Kyrgyz Embassy, together with his employer, is looking for a lawyer, whose services are quite expensive.
Kyrgyz diplomats assured that they are monitoring the situation.
The Beishekeev family is also urging the Kyrgyz government to influence U.S. authorities to ensure that the investigation into the traffic accident is conducted objectively.
