The same U.S. Senator that started a federal tip-line website for those wishing to blow the whistle on illegal immigrants in trucking has filed a new immigration bill.
Indiana Republican Jim Banks introduced the Dalilah Law this week.
If passed and signed by President Donald Trump, this legislation would require states to take specific measures to get “illegal alien truck drivers off America’s roads to receive federal Department of Transportation funding,” according to Banks’ website.
“At last night’s State of the Union, President Trump called on Congress to pass legislation called ‘the Dalilah Law’ barring any state from granting commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens,” Banks’ release stated.
“Too many people have been hurt,” Banks said. “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.”
The Dalilah Law would require states to take certain action items as a condition of Department of Transportation funding:
Limiting trucking licenses to United States citizens, lawful permanent residents, and certain work visa holders only.
Revoking all trucking licenses currently issued to illegal aliens and aliens with temporary status, whether or not such persons have work authorization.
Offering CDL knowledge and skill tests in English only.
Earlier this week, Senator Banks sent a letter to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Derek Barrs for an immediate investigation into potential “chameleon carrier” trucking networks operating in Indiana.
Last week, Senator Banks launched the Truck Safety Tip line for truckers and those who work in the trucking industry to share concerns about carriers employing or contracting with drivers who are not legally in the United States, who are not authorized to drive a truck, or who cannot meet required English-language safety standards.
The inspiration for the bill is Dalilah Coleman, who is a first-grade student who was severely injured in a six-car pileup caused by an illegal immigrant driving a semi truck with a CDL, according to Banks’ press release.
According to the Dalilah’s father, the crash resulted in her inability to walk, talk, eat orally, or attend kindergarten as planned. She was in a coma for three weeks and required six months of hospital treatment before her family could bring her home. While in the hospital, she had a craniectomy and was without half of her skull for four months.
Dalilah experienced a broken femur, skull fractures, and has since been diagnosed with diplegic cerebral palsy, global developmental delay, and will need life-long therapy.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
