POTUS calls on Congress to pass law banning all states from granting CDLs to illegal aliens

The President of the United States called on Congress to pass a law banning all states from granting commercial driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants during the State of the Union on Tuesday. 

The State of the Union address was held on Tuesday evening, February 24th. 

“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. That’s why tonight I’m calling on Congress to pass what we will call the Delilah Law, barring any state from granting commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens,” Trump said during his speech. 

The namesake of the proposed law, Dalilah Coleman, was only 5 years old when a semi truck driven by 20-year-old Partap Singh crashed into her stopped vehicle in June 2024. Singh was deported back to India in September 2025. After the accident, Dalilah was in a coma for 3 months due to head trauma, and her parents were told multiple times that she would not live. However, Dalilah survived and now attends 1st grade. She and her father were in attendance at the SOTU.

“Doctors said Delilah would never be able to walk or talk, have a good life,” he said. “She wouldn’t even be able to eat again. But against all odds, she is now in the first grade, learning to walk,” Trump said during his speech. 

On Wednesday, February 25th, Indiana Senator Jim Banks introduced the Dalilah Law, banning any state from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens with a few additional specifics. In addition to limiting CDLs to United States citizens, permanent residents, and certain work visa holders, any CDL held by illegal aliens and aliens with temporary status must be revoked, regardless of work authorization. Under the proposed law, CDL knowledge and skills tests must also be issued in English only. These requirements would be conditions that must be met in order to receive Department of Transportation funding. 

“Too many people have been hurt. Too many have been killed. Americans are paying the price because illegal drivers are being handed commercial driver’s licenses like candy and put behind the wheel of 80,000-pound trucks. That stops now. The Dalilah Law makes it clear: if you are here illegally, you do not get a CDL. We need to act and we need to act now,” wrote Senator Jim Banks. 

“Tonight, the President highlighted the tragic consequences of a preventable truck crash caused by an unqualified truck driver. For professional truckers, safety is not political, it is our daily responsibility. Ensuring that every individual operating an 80,000-pound commercial vehicle on America’s highways is properly vetted, trained, and held to consistent standards is essential to protecting our members and the motoring public. OOIDA and the professional truck drivers we represent will continue supporting efforts at USDOT and in Congress to strengthen licensing standards and training requirements that will make our roads safer for everyone,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer wrote.