Advocacy Group Calls For US Probe ​​​​​​​On Non-English Speaking Migrant Truck Drivers After Deadly Austin Crash

Local police in Austin, Texas, have arrested truck driver Solomun Weldekeal Araya, 37, in connection with the horrific 19-vehicle crash that left five people dead and 12 injured. The incident highlights rising concerns over America’s highways flooded with potentially unqualified migrant truck drivers.

Inbox: According to a reliable internal source, Solomun Weldekeal Araya, an 18-wheeler driver who was arrested and is facing intoxication charges after a North Austin crash that claimed five lives, was a contract driver on a work visa.

He was transporting items from an… pic.twitter.com/EC3ZMLoA2s

— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) March 16, 2025

According to an affidavit obtained by KVUE, one witness described Araya’s 18-wheeler plowing into stopped traffic along a stretch of highway in North Austin. The person said it was as if the truck driver forgot to brake. Police said Araya is behind bars at the Travis County Jail. 

Austin-Travis County EMS wrote on X at the time of the horrific crash on Thursday night that several people were “pinned in their vehicles” following the “collision involving multiple vehicles and a semi-truck.” 

“5 patients (3 adults, 1 child, 1 infant) have been pronounced deceased on scene,” Austin-Travis County EMS wrote on X. 

1/2 #ATXTrafficFatality FINAL Vehicle Rescue on N Ih 35: 17 patients & 17 vehicles involved.
5 patients (3 adults, 1 child, 1 infant) have been pronounced deceased on scene.#ATCEMSMedics transported 11 patients:
2 adults to St. David’s Round Rock w/life threatening injuries.

— ATCEMS (@ATCEMS) March 14, 2025

According to KVUE, police stated that the driver showed signs of intoxication following the crash despite a preliminary breathalyzer test showing a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.00. However, Araya displayed “all six” signs of intoxication and failed a field sobriety test. Authorities raised concerns that he may have ingested depressants before the accident. 

According to the advocacy group American Truckers United on X, a critical detail about this crash, which reposted a video from the accident scene, is that the driver “barely spoke English.”

Austin Truck Crash Kills 5 and Injures 11 – Possible Non-Citizen Truck Drivers Involved

American Truckers United believes there is a 90% chance at least one of the truck drivers was a non-citizen truck driver. The accident investigation should include a background on the… pic.twitter.com/GcBU8EHGbJ

— American Truckers (@atutruckers) March 14, 2025

“Experts say he was almost certainly on a Non-Domicile CDL.  Special interest groups have flooded our roads with unvetted, unqualified, untrained drivers, endangering us all!” American Truckers said, adding:

• DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION into this driver’s licensing, vetting, and training—or lack thereof!

• MORE CRITICALLY, LAUNCH A NATIONAL PROBE into the entities allowing illiterate, ill-trained operators onto our highways!

• RESTORE SAFETY, SECURITY, AND INTEGRITY TO OUR ROADS—ACT NOW BEFORE MORE LIVES ARE LOST!

ATU has confirmed: the driver behind today’s horrific Austin, TX crash—killing 5 and injuring 11—barely spoke English. Experts say he was almost certainly on a Non-Domicile CDL. Special interest groups have flooded our roads with unvetted, unqualified, untrained drivers,… pic.twitter.com/uByIPPp5j3

— American Truckers (@atutruckers) March 15, 2025

Another X user pointed to the nonprofit Global Impact Initiative, saying that … 

CDL training for Refugees. 501c3 ( of course )

Global Impact Initiative (Gii) has developed relationships with over 250 Austin-based refugee families from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine with the aim of facilitating their incorporation into the local community. More than 60% of…

— R. Hino Hunter (@RinoHunter2025) March 15, 2025

Local news outlet KXAN posted a video a few years ago about the nonprofit launching a “CDL refugee training program.” There is no confirmation on whether Araya took the CDL course through the nonprofit.

Hmmm… 

Possible Connection in Two of Texas’s worst Truck Crashes

Fort Worth TX Pileup of 2021 and Austin TX Pileup of 2025 may have a common denominator in the truck drivers involved in the accidents.

Where did they get their CDLs?
How did they get their CDLs?
Who issued their CDLs?… pic.twitter.com/NRV18UIfiH

— American Truckers (@atutruckers) March 15, 2025

And guess what’s happening in Arkansas: “English Checks Have Begun.” 

English Checks Have Begun Truck driver in Arkansas at a weigh station

– They’re stopping ALL trucks
– Everyone is handed a piece of paper
– They must read it out loud
– They must also write what they’re told to write

“I was actually witnessing people in handcuffs that had… pic.twitter.com/lkRAddBSfL

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) March 16, 2025

American Truckers is entirely correct: “LAUNCH A NATIONAL PROBE into the entities allowing illiterate, ill-trained operators onto our highways!”