The family of Sarah Root, a young woman killed by a drunk driver who was in the United States illegally, will attend President Trump's State of the Union address. Sarah Root, a 21-year-old Iowa native, was tragically killed just hours after graduating from Bellevue University. The driver, Eswin Mejia, had a blood alcohol content over three times the legal limit and was not legally in the country at the time.

The incident occurred in Nebraska in January 2016, raising significant concerns about illegal immigration and the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws. After the accident, Mejia was arrested but later released on bond before fleeing the country. The case has drawn attention over the years, with then-candidate Trump openly criticizing the previous administration's management of such incidents, framing them as failures of immigration policy.

Under the Trump administration, efforts were made to track Mejia down, which culminated in his extradition back to the U.S. in March 2025. The Root family's attendance at the State of the Union serves to underscore ongoing debates about immigration, public safety, and the need for stringent enforcement of laws against illegal immigration, as well as the personal tragedies that can arise from such incidents.