Washington, March 31 (IANS) A group of Republican senators has introduced new legislation aimed at preventing illegal immigrants from obtaining or using commercial driver’s licences (CDLs), proposing strict penalties for both drivers and states that issue such licences.
The bill, titled the Dalilah’s Law Act, was introduced by Senators Shelley Moore Capito, John Cornyn, Ted Budd, Cynthia Lummis and Tommy Tuberville. It seeks to tighten federal oversight and impose criminal and civil penalties linked to CDL issuance and usage by undocumented immigrants.
“The Dalilah’s Law Act is about protecting American families and ensuring safety of everyone on our highways and I applaud Sen. Cornyn’s commitment to this issue,” Capito said. “Commercial drivers carry an enormous responsibility, and there must be clear, consistent standards for those allowed behind the wheel.”
She added that the legislation would “close dangerous loopholes and reinforce the principle that the rule of law and public safety must always come first”.
Cornyn framed the bill as a response to what he described as policy failures at the border. “It is reprehensible that innocent Americans like Dalilah Coleman continue to pay the price for Democrats’ open-border policies,” he said, alleging that undocumented drivers were “dangerously operating massive commercial vehicles on our roadways”.
“Our bill would build on President Trump’s State of the Union remarks… to put an end to this pull factor and hold illegal alien drivers and the sanctuary states that enable them accountable,” Cornyn added.
The legislation proposes a range of measures. These include new criminal penalties for undocumented individuals using CDLs in interstate commerce and mandatory minimum sentences for accidents involving such drivers. It also introduces a potential death penalty aggravating factor if a person is killed in a crash involving an undocumented CDL holder.
The bill, among other things, proposes to impose immigration consequences, including classification as an aggravated felon, triggering mandatory detention and deportation. The bill also seeks to require CDL applicants to provide documentation confirming employment eligibility verification through E-Verify or equivalent systems.
States would be required to maintain verification records and submit them to the Department of Transportation upon request. The legislation also proposes criminal penalties for state officials who fail to verify immigration status before issuing CDLs.
Senator Budd cited a recent accident in California as a driving force behind the bill. “A five-year-old little girl is now living with significant injuries because an illegal alien recklessly drove an 80,000-pound commercial vehicle after being issued a CDL by the state of California,” he said. “This cannot happen again.”
Lummis emphasised public safety concerns. “Every American who shares a road with an 80,000-pound commercial truck deserves to know that driver earned that license legally,” she said, adding that issuing licences to undocumented individuals was “a betrayal of the public trust”.
–IANS
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