Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem visited Bakersfield on Thursday as part of a nationwide campaign focused on crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.
The visit highlighted the story of 7-year-old Dalilah Coleman, who was critically injured in a 2024 crash in San Bernardino County.
Dalilah was just 5 years old when she was involved in a six-vehicle collision on Highway 395. The crash caused severe brain swelling and left her on life support.
Today, Dalilah is nonverbal, but her bright smile and charismatic spirit continue to fill the room, her family says. Her father, Marcus Coleman, remembers a time when she would run through the house laughing and screaming, full of energy.
The truck driver charged in connection with the crash is Partap Singh.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Singh is an undocumented immigrant from India and is currently being held in ICE custody in Texas.
Dalilah’s case drew the attention of Secretary Noem, who has been traveling the country meeting with what are known as “Angel Families” families whose loved ones were killed or injured by undocumented immigrants.
The visits are part of a broader push to on immigration enforcement.
“It was shocking,” said Ileana Krause, her mother. “We went to D.C. hoping to be heard, but we weren’t expecting all the notoriety. It was unexpected.”…