A Chinese national who entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in 2023 has been identified as the driver who caused a crash on I-40 earlier this month that resulted in the death of a 31-year old woman, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced.
DHS said 54-year-old Yisong Huang was the driver of a tour bus who rear-ended a tractor-trailer on December 9, causing a multi-vehicle crash that left Kerry Smith, who was driving a second semi-commercial vehicle, fatally injured, and two others injured.
Citing information from the investigation into the crash by federal and state agencies, DHS reports that Huang was “distracted by a video on his phone at the time of the crash.”
DHS further reports that Huang “admitted to Border Patrol agents that he had entered the country unlawfully and was a citizen of China” in 2023, and, despite his admission of breaking the law, the “Biden Administration released him into the country and provided him with both work authorization papers and a social security card.”
This, DHS said, allowed the Chinese national to obtain a Class B CDL.
“Far too many innocent Americans have been killed by illegal aliens driving semi-trucks and big rigs. And yet, sanctuary states around the country have been issuing illegal aliens commercial driver’s licenses. The Trump Administration is ending the chaos,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy also commented on the Tennessee fatal crash involving Huang, noting how the Chinese national failed to pass a “basic English test” and questioning how he “even got the [Class B] license in the first place.”
“It’s not just that Joe Biden let millions of migrants flood into our country illegally. His administration doled out the documentation these unqualified foreigner drivers needed to obtain trucking licenses and operate 40-ton missiles on the highway,” Duffy said.
“Working with Secretary Noem, we will continue to fight to keep you and your family safe on America’s roadways,” he added.
To address growing concerns highlighted by cases like the I-40 crash, Duffy launched a nationwide audit at the DOT of state practices for issuing non-domiciled CDLs earlier this year.
The audit, directed through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, will review whether states are properly following federal regulations and ensuring that only qualified, properly documented drivers are receiving CDLs.
Ordered in response to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order titled “Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers,” the review seeks to identify and stop any patterns of abuse in the licensing system that could endanger public safety.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
I’m so sick of these illegals killing Americans without any consequences! Scummy Biden and his minions have a lot of blood and deaths on their hands, but none of them are held accountable. Either Pam Bondi starts stepping up and do her job, or Trump needs to fire her for another AG who has the bite as much as his bark!
Tennessee does not have to recognize licenses from outside the state, right? These illegals should be prosecuted as it would anyone without a license. as well as anyone who is here illegally. What makes more sense?