U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has expressed support for President Donald Trump’s proposal of the Dalilah Law, which would prevent states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to individuals who are in the United States illegally.
The proposed legislation is named after Dalilah Coleman, a young girl who suffered severe injuries in a crash involving an illegal alien operating a commercial truck. The incident occurred on June 20, 2024, when Partap Singh, an Indian national living unlawfully in the country, caused a multi-car accident while driving an 18-wheeler in California. Singh had received his CDL from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. According to Dalilah's father, her injuries have left her unable to walk, talk, eat orally, or attend kindergarten.
“Under President Trump's leadership, we have worked to deliver justice for the families impacted by illegal alien crime, and have ensured that the tragedies they endured will no longer continue. What happened to Dalilah Coleman is a tragedy that could have been PREVENTED if California did not grant commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens who should have never been here in the first place,” said Secretary Kristi Noem. “DHS is working every single day to remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens who are unlawfully in the U.S.”
Partap Singh was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on August 29, 2025, in Fresno, California.
Recent cases cited by DHS include several fatal accidents involving undocumented immigrants with CDLs issued by various states:
- Earlier this month ICE arrested an undocumented semi-truck driver with a Pennsylvania-issued CDL after he caused a collision on February 3 that killed four people.
- In December it was announced that an American died after being struck by a Chinese national holding a CDL who failed his English proficiency test following the crash; authorities determined this individual had entered illegally from Mexico in 2023.
- In October ICE arrested Anmol Anmol—an Indian national living illegally in the U.S.—after he was found operating commercially under an alias and possessing a New York state CDL.
- In November ICE apprehended Akhror Bozorov—a citizen of Uzbekistan wanted for terrorism charges—who was employed as a commercial truck driver with work authorization granted earlier that year and holding a Pennsylvania CDL.
- In August ICE placed an arrest detainer on Harjinder Singh following his arrest for three counts of vehicular homicide resulting from an attempted illegal U-turn that led to multiple fatalities; he held credentials from Florida authorities.
DHS maintains efforts through law enforcement actions to prevent similar incidents and offers support services for victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants via its Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office at 1-855-488-6423.
