E-Paper
Trump announces ‘Dalilah Law’ to ban immigrants from getting commercial driver licenses
Speaking during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, the US President stated that no immigrant will be allowed to get a licenses to drive trucks.
President Donald Trump has announced the ‘Dalilah Law', which would halt the issuance of commercial driver licenses to “illegal aliens.” Speaking during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, the US President stated that no immigrant will be allowed to get a licenses to drive trucks and other cargo vehicles.
The President's action comes after a series of Indian origin and Indian drivers were accused of taking wrong turns on highways, causing fatal accidents.
Also Read | Trump credits Charlie Kirk for ‘tremendous renewal’ in faith, religion in US
During his speech, POTUS highlighted the case of five-year-old Dalilah from Bakersfield who was injured after a multi-car pileup was caused by Partap Singh—an illegal immigrant from India. As per her father, the accident left the child nonverbal and relearning how to walk.
Singh, according to the Department of Homeland Security, caused a multicar pileup after driving at an unsafe speed not stopping for a traffic and construction zone June 20, 2024.
Indian immigrants under scanner in the US
In the past few years, there have been several instances where Indians, who entered the US illegally, have been involved in dangerous and fatal highway crashes while driving trucks.
32-year-old Rajinder Kumar was charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment after William Micah Carter, 25 and Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24, were killed when their vehicle crashed into his semi-truck in Oregon.
In August 2025, ICE lodged an arrest detainer for Harjinder Singh following his arrest for three counts of vehicular homicide while driving a semi-truck in Florida.
Following the Florida crash, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Trump administration will stop issuing US visas for truck drivers.
"Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers," Rubio wrote on X, adding that the increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads “is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers”.
In October 2025, ICE lodged an arrest detainer for Jashanpreet Singh, who killed three people in California while driving an 18-wheeler under the influence.
Following this increase in accident, US Border Patrol carried out a mass sweep and search operation in which 30 Indian nationals, living illegally in America, operating semitrucks with commercial driver’s licenses, were arrested.
