by Sharon Rondeau
(Oct. 31, 2026) — 10:12 a.m. EDT – Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin informed “Saturday in America” host Kayleigh McEnany that 21-year-old University of New Haven senior and Chargers team assistant captain Ryan Dennis O’Shea lost his life on October 16 due to a “twice-deported” illegal alien from Mexico driving the wrong way on I-91.
DHS had confirmed the details to Fox News Digital on Friday.
O’Shea and a passenger were returning from a hockey game, WFSB reported, when they were hit head-on by the wrong-way driver.
“O’Shea’s death is the second wrong-way crash death in Connecticut this year,” the outlet said.
The perpetrator, Guillermo Carmona-Lopez, 31, had a Connecticut driver’s license, according to an initial report from the state police, and was taken to a hospital with “life-threatening injuries.”
Two others sustained minor injuries, the police report indicates.
On its Instagram page, DHS states, “With honor and integrity, we will safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values.” The page features stories of Americans killed by illegal aliens, describing O’Shea’s death as “TRAGIC AND PREVENTABLE.”
A video of Sheridan Grace Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola University student killed by an illegal alien in March, depicts her celebrating a birthday as a child. Her killer, Jose Medina, was apprehended twice for previous crimes but “released,” DHS wrote in its post.
The agency also investigates suspected election fraud, drug trafficking and immigration fraud.
Connecticut’s History with Illegal-Alien Drivers
In a 2002 report by the Connecticut Office of Legislative Research (OLR), the state was noted as requiring “proof of lawful U.S. presence” in order to issue a driver’s license.
Fast-forward to this year, in an article updated October 6, the organization ASAP wrote:
- Asylum seekers with valid work permits are eligible for non-verified driver’s licenses in Connecticut! These driver’s licenses do not meet REAL ID requirements. Read more about the requirements below.
- All other immigrants are also eligible for driver’s licenses in Connecticut – even if you do not have a work permit or any immigration status! Learn more about the requirements on Connecticut’s website and from the organization United We Dream.
In 2013, the Connecticut legislature passed Public Act 2013-89, known as the “drive-only license program,” which took effect on January 2, 2015. Approximately one month earlier, NBC Connecticut reported that according to a DMV spokesman, “Some immigrant advocacy groups estimate that as many as 200,000 eligible immigrants live in Connecticut without legal permission.”
The DMV’s webpage about the “drive-only license” states that the program “is designed specifically for undocumented individuals who are 16 years of age or older and unable to establish lawful presence in the United States…You may be eligible for a drive-only license if you have the formal documents required by the drive-only license document checklist (English version PDF | Spanish version PDF ), cannot establish your legal presence in the United States and may not have a social security number.”
In October 2019, the Connecticut “Trust Act” took effect, restricting but not precluding the state’s law-enforcement entities from providing information on detained individuals to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law-enforcement entities.
What the Media is Saying…and Not Saying
This writer heard the initial report of O’Shea’s death and his teammates’ reaction to it on local station Fox61. The cause of the crash was not reported at that time, and it does not appear Fox61 issued a follow-up report.
WFSB in Hartford reported the story, including the memorial held for O’Shea on Tuesday, but said nothing about the cause of the crash.
WTNH, based in New Haven, wrote that “Ryan O’Shea was killed in a wrong way crash” and that his jersey number, “5,” was to be retired in his honor. “O’Shea’s mother was also presented with a number five jersey from the visiting team, the Wentworth School of Technology,” the article continues.
There was no mention of the cause of the crash.
The University of New Haven’s press release stated O’Shea died “as a result of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. The car he was driving was struck head-on by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 91 South in North Haven.”
In 2023, Connecticut announced a “wrong-way driver program” aimed at reducing the number of fatal crashes, deeming them “preventable.”
“Legislation signed by Governor Lamont” (D) “in 2023 directs UConn to begin testing the use of directional rumble strips that alert drivers through vibration and sound when driving the wrong way and directs CTDOT to pilot the use of variable electronic message signs along the highway to alert motorists of a potential wrong-way driver,” the website states.
Prompting the identification and attempted avoidance of likely wrong-way accidents, the DOT reported it “conducted an analysis of more than 700 ramp locations in Connecticut, especially where on and off-ramps are located on the same side of the road and the ramp locations are close to establishments that serve alcohol. According to national research, ramp locations with on and off-ramps on the same side of the road have a higher risk of experiencing a wrong way event. Additionally, impaired drivers are more likely to mistakenly enter the highway in the wrong direction.”
In Mullin’s conversation with McEnany, he said O’Shea’s death is the result of Connecticut’s policy toward illegal aliens, specifically blaming “Lamont.”
The governor, who is seeking re-election to a third term on Tuesday, “turned this individual loose onto the streets,” Mullin asserted. “He was driving the wrong direction and had a head-on collision with this young man that was full of nothing but hope and opportunities, and now there’s a family mourning because of this illegal.”
Those who claim it “humane” to harbor illegal aliens, Mullin continued, are wrong. “It’s costing American citizens their lives…and the blood is on the hands of these sanctuary city politicians that’s done this” [sic].
In an interview Friday with Newsmax‘s Carl Higbie on the same subject, Mullin criticized Connecticut’s “sanctuary policies” which he said create a “safe haven for criminal activity.” Joe Biden’s allowing of “20 million” illegals to enter the country during his four years in office exacerbated the problem, Mullin said.
The Remembrance Project has designated October as “Remembrance Month for Citizens Killed by Illegal Aliens.”
O’Shea, who was majoring in criminal justice, intended to become a police officer to carry on a family tradition, his sister Katherine was quoted as having said. He also aspired to becoming a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officer one day, an October 17 post on UNH’s Facebook page states.
He was the president of his fraternity, Kappa Sigma Upsilon Omicron, and an inspiration to many, according to multiple statements from those who knew him.
O’Shea’s obituary states his death was the result of a “tragic accident.” His funeral was held Friday, October 23, at Saint Gregory Barbarigo Church in Garnerville, NY, in Rockland County.
“The Ryan O’Shea Memorial Scholarship” has been established at both his North Rockland (NY) High School and UNH and as of this writing has raised more than $57,000 of its stated $60,000 joint goal.
The final entry in his obituary reads:
Ryan, you were a huge presence in so many lives, and you are loved beyond words. Your smile, your kindness, your laughter, and the love you gave so freely will live on in the hearts of everyone who knew you. We are heartbroken that you did not get the chance to live out your dreams and all the wonderful things your future held.
You will forever be our sweet boy. You will be missed more than words can ever express and loved for all eternity.
Rest in peace, sweet boy. Until we meet again.
An Irish Blessing
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
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