Dalilah’s Story Ignites ‘Dalilah Law’ Push

Adriana Stone 0 3 min read

Dalilah’s Story Ignites ‘Dalilah Law’ Push

President Donald Trump used his State of the Union to put a human face on an immigration safety debate. He told the chamber about seven-year-old Dalilah Coleman. Her life was changed in a crash involving a semi-truck driven by an illegal alien.

Dalilah was five when the crash happened. She suffered a traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and severe developmental delays. She can’t walk, talk, or eat on her own. She needs lifelong care and therapy.

“Dalilah Coleman is a 1st-grader who was severely injured in a car accident caused by an illegal alien driving a semitruck with a CDL. Her injuries include a traumatic brain injury, Cerebral Palsy, and she will need lifelong care and therapy. The driver crossed the border in… pic.twitter.com/L290GaiwTs
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 25, 2026”

The crash happened in June 2024 on Highway 395 in Southern California. A six-car pileup was set off when the 18-wheeler failed to stop at a construction site. The vehicle carrying Dalilah and her family was struck.

“Dalilah Coleman’s life was forever changed when an illegal alien driving an 18-wheeler slammed into her and her family. 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… pic.twitter.com/8oG3IrUiwP
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) September 25, 2025”

Dalilah was airlifted to Loma Linda Children’s Hospital. She spent three weeks in a coma and months in care before coming home. The driver, identified as Partap Singh, was later arrested by ICE. Reports say he entered the U.S. in 2022 and was released under Biden-era policies.

Dalilah’s mother, Ileana Krause, is a Class A truck driver. She set up a GoFundMe to pay for Dalilah’s rehabilitation and ongoing care. In her fundraiser she wrote verbatim:

“I’m wanting this to spread out so that way the driver may be held accountable for his negligence I myself being a Class A truck driver and understanding the responsibilities that we hold while operating these heavy-duty vehicles across the country he neglected to hold the same responsibilities. Our daughter was to start Kindergarten this year as well as sports, her goals have been impacted and delayed severely. Dalilah is a charismatic girl with a smile to impact anyone around her. Her happiness was contagious and she always smiled and went above and beyond to make every day a memorable one,” her mother wrote in a GoFundMe fundraiser for help with medical expenses.

President Donald Trump used Dalilah’s story to push new legislation. He called on Congress to pass what he called the “Dalilah Law.” He said, verbatim:

“Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs…That’s why tonight, I’m calling on Congress to pass what we will call the ‘Dalilah Law’—barring any state from granting Commercial Drivers Licenses to illegal aliens,”

Republicans stood and applauded. Most Democrats stayed seated. The president called out lawmakers, telling them to “protect American citizens over illegal aliens.” He then said, “You should be ashamed.” That led to a heated back-and-forth on the floor.

“WATCH:
#Trump to Ilhan Omar:
“You should be ashamed of yourself.”
#Ilhan Omar:
“You’ve killed Americans. You should be ashamed.”
STATE OF THE UNION 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Rs4j5SVAwo
— Atiq Ur Rehman Sial (@AtiqSial) February 25, 2026”

The family’s GoFundMe has raised significant support. At the time of reporting it showed $139,014 toward a $165,000 goal from more than 2,500 donors. Supporters say no child should carry lifetime consequences from a preventable crash.

Many on the right say this is a clear fix: stop issuing commercial driver’s privileges to people in the country illegally. They argue it’s about common-sense safety for American roads. Opponents warn against broad, punitive rules. The politics will play out in committees and votes. But Dalilah’s recovery remains the immediate concern.

“Little Dalilah Coleman was involved in an accident after California issued an illegal alien a commercial driver’s license, and allowed him to recklessly operate a semi truck at deadly speeds.
Now, she’s learning to walk again.
This is our why. pic.twitter.com/EQmdkdU9jD
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) February 25, 2026”

Below are the official tweet links and embeds referenced above.

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