Legislation that would bar illegal immigrants and non-English speakers from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses is advancing in the U.S. House after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy renewed his push for the measure this week.
“Dalilah’s Law would have revoked this illegal trucker’s license,” Duffy wrote on X, responding to reports that an illegal immigrant truck driver was arrested in connection with a hit-and-run that injured two people near Sacramento, California. “Congress must pass Dalilah’s Law NOW.”
Testifying earlier this week before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Duffy said he is committed to restoring “integrity and safety” to the trucking industry while improving job prospects for American drivers.
“It was the policy of the last administration to allow for unqualified foreign drivers to get behind the wheel of a truck,” he said, criticizing the administration of former President Joe Biden. “Those days are over.”
“We’ve also knocked more than 20,000 drivers out of service for failing to meet basic requirements like reading our road signs or being able to communicate with law enforcement,” Duffy added. “These changes aren’t just keeping you and your family safe on the road—they have the added benefits of boosting wages of hardworking American truckers.”
The bill, introduced by Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., has been referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and could soon advance to a committee vote before heading to the House floor.
Houchin’s legislation is named after Dalilah Coleman, who was 5 years old when she was severely injured in a crash involving an illegal immigrant truck driver who allegedly ran a stop sign.
President Donald Trump highlighted Coleman and her family during his January State of the Union address as he urged Congress to act on the proposal.
“Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs as to direction, speed, danger, or location,” Trump said. “That’s why tonight I’m calling on Congress to pass what we will call the Dalilah Law, barring any state from granting commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.”
In the Senate, the companion measure is being led by Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., a close ally of the president.
If enacted, the legislation would prohibit issuing CDLs to individuals who are not U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or holders of certain work visas. It would also require states to permanently disqualify individuals who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents from operating commercial vehicles.
“If you can’t speak English or read a road sign, you have no business driving a truck in the United States of America. This is common sense, this is basic public safety, and this is why I’m leading The Dalilah Law,” Banks said in a statement to the Daily Signal.
Democrats have opposed the bill, arguing that it “demonizes” illegal immigrants.
Banks, speaking on the Daily Signal’s “Tony Kinnett Cast,” said differing state policies have contributed to safety concerns.
“When you have Gov. Gavin Newsom in California, or blue states like California or New York, [where] they hand out truck driving licenses to illegals like candy, of course you’re going to see them behind the wheel of a semi and tragically killing people,” Banks said.
Banks added that Coleman continues to recover but faces lasting effects from the crash.
“She will never be the same—she’s recovered physically, but she will never be the same,” he said.
