US President Donald Trump has announced a new policy proposal titled the Dalilah Law. The proposal is aimed at stopping the issuance of commercial driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. The announcement was made during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, where he stated that immigrants without legal status would no longer be permitted to obtain licenses required to operate trucks and other cargo vehicles.
The proposed law follows a series of highway incidents in recent years in which drivers of Indian origin, including some who entered the United States illegally, were accused of taking incorrect routes or making dangerous driving decisions that led to fatal crashes.
Who Is Dalilah Coleman? 5-Year-Old Whose Case Prompted the Law?
During his address, Trump spoke about the case of Dalilah Coleman, a five-year-old from Bakersfield who was severely injured in a multi-car collision allegedly caused by Partap Singh, described as an undocumented immigrant from India.
According to her father, the crash left Dalilah nonverbal and forced her to relearn how to walk.
“Her injuries include a traumatic brain injury, Cerebral Palsy, and she will need lifelong care and therapy,” the White House said.
The incident occurred on June 20, 2024.
The proposed law has been named after Dalilah Coleman.
Dalilah Coleman is a 1st-grader who was severely injured in a car accident caused by an illegal alien driving a semitruck with a CDL. Her injuries include a traumatic brain injury, Cerebral Palsy, and she will need lifelong care and therapy.
The driver crossed the border in… pic.twitter.com/L290GaiwTs
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 25, 2026
Dalilah Law & Its Indian Connection
US authorities have reported multiple cases in recent years involving Indian nationals who were linked to serious or fatal truck accidents.
One such case involved 32-year-old Rajinder Kumar, who was charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment after William Micah Carter, 25, and Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24, died when their vehicle crashed into his semi-truck in Oregon.
In another incident in August 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an arrest detainer for Harjinder Singh following his arrest on three counts of vehicular homicide while driving a semi-truck in Florida.
Following the Florida incident, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the administration would suspend visa issuance for commercial truck drivers.
“Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers,” Rubio wrote on X.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
