Father of Disabled Daughter Confronts Democrats Over Sanctuary Policies

Marcus Coleman told House lawmakers Tuesday he rejects their sympathy over his daughter's permanent disability, saying none of them had ever contacted his family outside the hearing room.

• Dalilah was five years old when the June 2024 crash occurred in Southern California.
• The truck hit the vehicle at 60 mph in a construction zone where traffic had stopped.
• Dalilah was in a coma for three weeks and hospitalized for six months.
• Driver Partap Singh had obtained a commercial driver's license in California.

Why it matters: The hearing, titled 'Sanctuary Policies, Tragic Consequences,' focused on Republican arguments that California, Colorado, and Maryland policies limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities and put Americans at risk.

• Coleman said he stopped working as a truck driver and is now raising nine children while financially strained.
• A second witness, Patricia Fox, testified her daughter was permanently disabled in a March 2025 hit-and-run in Colorado involving a driver from Venezuela who fled the scene.

How 18 sources split on this story

Where they split: Republicans argue sanctuary policies enabled the crash by shielding the driver from immigration enforcement; Democrats, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal, argued the broader immigration system is outdated and that the Trump administration has cut legal pathways.

What’s next: Dalilah's Law, if passed, would bar people in the country illegally from obtaining commercial driver's licenses.

• The Trump administration has already moved to shut down driving schools issuing CDLs to drivers in the country illegally.
• What specific policy changes, if any, will follow from the hearing?
• Has California reviewed or changed its CDL issuance process for noncitizens since the 2024 crash?