The âDelilah Lawâ refers to the new federal proposal announced by Donald Trump, which would prevent US states from issuing commercial driving licenses to undocumented immigrants. This is due to road safety concerns and recent fatal accidents involving heavy vehicles.
This was announced during Trumpâs State of the Union address in 2026.
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"Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs," Trump said while addressing a joint session of Congress. "Thatâs why tonight Iâm calling on Congress to pass what we will call the Delilah law, barring any state from granting commercial driverâs licenses to illegal aliens," he added.
Why is it called 'Delilah law'?
The Bill is titled after Dalilah Coleman, a first-grade student who was five years old when she was seriously injured in a multi-car accident in June 2024. According to the White House, the accident involved a semi-truck driven by Pratap Singh, an undocumented immigrant from India.
According to investigators, the truck was moving at an unsafe speed and did not stop at a construction zone, causing a pile-up. Singh, who entered the US in 2022, was later arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in August 2025.
The White House said that Dalilah Coleman suffered a traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy from the accident and would need lifelong medical care and therapy.
Pattern of concern over commercial driving
The Delilah Law announcement follows another fatal incident in August 2025, when Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old undocumented immigrant from India, caused a deadly accident on Floridaâs Turnpike. Officials said Singh attempted an illegal U-turn in a semi-truck, leaving the vehicle stranded across lanes. A minivan collided with the trailer, killing three people.
Following that incident, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration would halt the issuance of US visas for foreign truck drivers, signalling a broader tightening of policy around commercial transport and immigration.
What the law proposes
If passed, the Delilah Law would prohibit states from granting commercial driving licences to undocumented immigrants, overriding state-level provisions that currently allow such licensing under specific conditions.
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Trump presented the proposal as a matter of public safety rather than an immigration issue alone, as he insisted that the need for higher standards for commercial drivers is required to avoid any other tragedies in the future.
The Bill is expected to raise legal and political issues, especially regarding the rights of states, as it proceeds to Congress for review.
