COLORADO — It's been nearly two years since DeAnn Miller's husband, Scott, was killed in a crash on Highway 285. Since then, she has continued fighting for change to the trucking industry, not only in Colorado but nationwide.
She was surprised, but interested, when President Donald Trump made a point of addressing the issue during his State of the Union Address.
The president called on congress to pass what's been deemed "The Dalilah Law," barring states from granting commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) to "individuals who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States."
"I was excited that at least this administration has taken notice and that they actually are, you know, looking into it... But they need to go a lot farther," said DeAnn.
"They're cherry picking that because it's part of his immigration policy instead of really looking at all the bad actors," she said.
The crash that killed her husband was caused by a semi truck driver who drove off the edge of the road, rolling the semi onto its side and dumping the load on top of five vehicles, CSP said.
The truck was being driven by Ignacio Cruz-Mendoza, 47 at the time, who Immigration and Customs Enforcement says was in the U.S. illegally. Cruz-Mendoza eventually served about one year in prison for the crash after he pleaded guilty to one count of careless driving resulting in death and three counts of careless driving resulting in injury.
Denver7 Investigates was there when Cruz-Mendoza was released from prison and immediately detained by ICE.
Cruz-Mendoza did not have a CDL at the time of the crash.
"Until they really start doing their job and cracking down on these companies with all these violations, getting rid of drivers on the roads that can't speak English and don't have qualifications is a good start. But we're still going to lose lives on the road and people are still going to die if we can't hold these companies accountable," said DeAnn, when asked her opinion about the proposed law.
PASS THE DALILAH LAW.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) February 25, 2026
Dalilah Coleman was only 5 when she suffered life changing injuries caused by an illegal alien driving an 18-wheeler.
What happened to Dalilah is a tragedy that could have been PREVENTED if California did not grant commercial driver’s licenses to illegal… pic.twitter.com/6LRwx1T2nS
Following the crash that killed Scott, the FMCSA shut down the trucking company Cruz-Mendoza was driving for, determining it was "egregiously noncompliant" with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). The company had been cited for various violations, including:
- Failure to have in place a Controlled Substances and Alcohol Use Testing Program. The company also was not registered in the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearing House
- Failure to ensure that the driver employed met Commercial Driver's License Standards
- Failure to comply with Hours of Service for Drivers requirements
- Failure to comply with Vehicle Maintenance and Inspection standards
"One of the real problems is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) does not do their job. Quite frank. So, sure, we can get these truckers off the roads, which would be great. But if the FMCSA is not going to stop trucking companies who have violations and do their job, nothing's going to change," said DeAnn.
A senator from Indiana introduced the law earlier this week.
