During Tuesday night's State of the Union address, President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass the "Dalilah Law"—named in honor of Dalilah Coleman—a bill that bars any state from granting commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to illegal immigrants.
"Dalilah Coleman was only five years old in June 2024 when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer, traveling at 60 miles an hour or more, plowed into her stopped car," Trump recalled. "Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs regarding direction, speed, danger, or location... The driver was an illegal alien, let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open-borders politicians in California."
The driver allegedly entered the U.S. through Mexico in October 2022.
"Doctors said Dalilah would never be able to walk, talk, or have a good life. She wouldn’t even be able to eat again," Trump said. "But against all odds, she is now in the first grade and learning to walk."
Dalilah Coleman attended the State of the Union address Tuesday night with her father, Marcus. In a post to his X (formerly Twitter) account, Marcus Coleman noted that the particulars of the Dalilah Law include at least one element to combat "chameleon carriers." Under Trump's proposed law, all commercial vehicles would be required "to have a permanent business name that is reflective, can be visible up to 100 feet, and is not magnetized without a permit. Hotshot operators and those wishing to have a magnetized DOT number must file for a permit that will be granted per VIN and linked to their specific DOT number."
Donald Trump's Department of Transportation has indeed launched numerous reforms of the commercial licensing process.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy earlier this week declared that all truck and bus drivers will be required to take CDL tests in English. CDL drivers will now receive an out-of-service (OOS) order if they fail a roadside English Language Proficiency (ELP) test, following President Trump’s Feb. 3 signing of a bill that codified his ELP executive order into law.
The administration has also targeted non-domiciled CDL holders and the licensing process. Earlier this month, it passed the "Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses" rule. The rule calls for
Key changes
- CDL eligibility: Eligibility is limited to H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 nonimmigrant status holders who undergo enhanced interagency vetting.
- Elimination of EADs: Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) are no longer accepted as proof of eligibility due to what the agency called "systemic noncompliance" by State Driver’s Licensing Agencies (SDLAs). Applicants must now present an unexpired foreign passport and specific Form I-94 documentation.
- Mandatory SAVE verification: States must query the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system to confirm every applicant's lawful immigration status.
