ICYMI: Bresnahan Pushes to Protect Americans from the Border Crisis
In case you missed it, Congressman Rob Bresnahan is fighting to protect Americans from the effects of Biden’s border crisis after an illegal immigrant killed a Pennsylvania state trooper while driving a tractor-trailer earlier this month.
Bresnahan is pushing for the passage of Dalilah’s Law, which would require states to ensure that only American citizens are receiving commercial driver’s licenses.
“Congressman Rob Bresnahan is fighting to protect Pennsylvanians from the effects of the border crisis because they will always be his number one priority. While Democrats continue to cater to their radical base and oppose commonsense laws, Bresnahan is pushing for legislation that will save lives.” – NRCC Spokesman Reilly Richardson
Read more from the Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice here or see excerpts below:
Bresnahan calls for CDL reforms after Schuylkill crash kills trooper
Jeff Horvath
The Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice
July 13, 2026
SPRING BROOK TWP. — In the wake of a fiery Schuylkill County crash that killed a Pennsylvania state trooper earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan reiterated his support for a proposed law aimed at preventing individuals in the country illegally from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses.
Michael Bon, 33, of Brockton, Massachusetts, faces felony vehicular homicide and other charges after his tractor-trailer veered off Interstate 81 early on July 1 and caused the crash that killed Trooper Michael Pahira, a 20-year state police veteran conducting a routine commercial inspection near mile marker 119 in Cass Twp. Bon, who was issued a CDL by the state of Massachusetts, is a Haitian immigrant who has been in the country illegally since June of last year, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“Trooper Pahira made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the people of Pennsylvania, and his death should have never happened,” Bresnahan, R-8, Dallas Twp., said Monday during a press conference at the Paul Bickelman Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 46. “We cannot change what happened to Trooper Pahira, but we can take action to help prevent another tragedy.”
Among other features, the legislation requires states to verify they are not issuing CDLs to “illegal immigrants” and would significantly increase penalties for states that fail to comply through the withholding of federal funds, Bresnahan’s office noted in a March press release. It also aims to ensure that CDL holders understand English, with Bresnahan noting Monday that commercial drivers operating vehicles weighing up to 80,000 pounds “must be able to communicate in English, understand road signs and meet federal safety standards.”
“When states lower the bar for CDLs or fail to enforce these standards, everyone pays the price,” Bresnahan said. “Our roads are less safe, our law enforcement officers face greater risk and the public deserves better. We have seen far too many cases of people who are in this country illegally, breaking our laws and causing devastating crashes that injure or kill innocent Americans.”
The Boston Herald reported earlier this month that U.S. Customs and Border Protection admitted Bon into the United States on July 2, 2024, as a parolee. Bon later filed an application for Temporary Protected Status with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) under the Biden administration, but it was never granted, according to that reporting, which notes USCIS terminated Bon’s parole in June 2025. He remained in the country illegally thereafter.
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Bon applied to renew his CDL this past February, before the Trump administration implemented a new rule in March restricting non-domiciled CDL eligibility. The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles told the Herald he would not have been approved if he applied for renewal next year, per the paper.
That Bon was able to renew his CDL despite his parole being terminated months earlier is “unacceptable,” Bresnahan said Monday.
Pennsylvania State Troopers Association President Stephen Polishan and Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association President and CEO Rebecca Oyler also endorsed the proposed Dalilah’s Law.
“The motoring public deserves confidence that every individual operating a commercial motor vehicle has been properly vetted, lawfully licensed and fully qualified to do so,” Polishan said. “We owe it to Dalilah Coleman, Trooper Michael Pahira and others.”
Oyler echoed that sentiment.
“Commercial drivers should be properly trained, legally qualified to hold a CDL, able to communicate in English as federal law requires and held to consistent licensing standards no matter where they obtain their license,” she said. “Those aren’t new expectations. They are longstanding safety standards that help protect the public, support law enforcement and uphold the professionalism of the trucking industry.”
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Bon remains in Schuylkill County Prison in lieu of $700,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26. ICE lodged a detainer request asking officials not to release him from custody.
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