Father who rejected Democrats' sympathy rips 'ignorance' after emotional Capitol Hill hearing
A father rejected Democratic lawmakers' expressions of sympathy on Capitol Hill this week, accusing them of only showing concern when the cameras are rolling after his daughter was left permanently disabled in a car crash allegedly caused by an illegal immigrant.
"I reject your guys' sympathy, to be honest with you. There's no way you guys are sorry," Marcus Coleman told lawmakers Tuesday.
Coleman criticized Democratic lawmakers for what he called their "ignorance" during a follow-up interview Thursday, telling Fox News' Trace Gallagher that he struggled to make them understand his position.
"Talking with the Democrat representatives, I mean, the language they speak is ignorance, and it's hard for me to translate what I'm trying to say to them," he said. "I can explain it all day, I just can't understand it for them."
His remarks come after a heated CNN discussion about crimes involving illegal immigrants, during which podcast host Leigh McGowan described the discussion as "exhausting."
Coleman told Gallagher about his own "exhausting" experience caring for his 7-year-old daughter, Dalilah, after she was critically injured in 2024 when an 18-wheeler traveling at about 60 mph slammed into the car she was riding in.
The Department of Homeland Security identified the truck driver as Partap Singh, an illegal immigrant from India who had obtained a commercial driver's license in California. DHS said Singh was driving at an unsafe speed and failed to stop for traffic and a construction zone before the crash.
"I work on maybe about four hours of sleep every night, primarily taking care of my daughter during the daytime, trying to work at nighttime and squeeze everything in, so I'm exhausted," Coleman said.
Coleman said his daily responsibilities have made it difficult to accept what he views as indifference from lawmakers.
During Tuesday's hearing, he accused Democratic lawmakers of offering sympathy inside the committee room while failing to reach out to him privately.
"Not one of you guys have ever called me. Not one of you guys ever reached out to me," Coleman told them. "You guys do it right here while you guys are grandstanding on top of your soapbox."
"This is when you guys care," he continued. "Right here inside this room is the only time you guys cared."
At a previous sanctuary cities hearing, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., questioned why the committee was revisiting the issue.
"Unfortunately, this hearing is — it's the fourth time in this committee that we've had a hearing on sanctuary cities. The fourth time," Jayapal said. "And there's many other things that we could be doing other than this."
Coleman said his advocacy will continue despite the demands already placed on him at home, saying his daughter's condition is a reminder of what he believes is at stake in the country's immigration debate.
"There's no remedy with open borders at all," he said.
"Leaving your door unlocked at nighttime, you're not gonna sleep safe. Leaving the borders open at nighttime, we're not going to be safe. My daughter is the proof. There's hundreds, if not thousands, of victims right now behind illegal aliens."
Fox News' Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.