A fatal crash in Tennessee has ignited a national firestorm over New York’s commercial driver licensing practices. Following an inquiry from Breitbart Texas, federal officials confirmed the bus driver responsible was an illegal alien from China who failed basic English proficiency, yet still obtained a New York CDL. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy threatened earlier this week to strip the state of $73 million in federal highway funds unless it revokes licenses issued to illegal aliens.
On December 9, 54‑year‑old Yisong Huang allegedly rear‑ended a tractor‑trailer on I‑40 westbound, triggering a chain reaction that killed Kerry Smith, an American truck driver, and injured two others, Breitbart Texas reported. Investigators say Huang was distracted by a video on his phone at the time of the crash. Fortunately, his bus carried no passengers.
“A Chinese national driving a motorcoach slammed into a vehicle in Tennessee, killing an individual and causing a major traffic jam this week,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote in a post on social media shortly after the crash. “And to make matters worse: this driver had a non-domiciled CDL from NY and couldn’t speak English!”
Despite admitting to Border Patrol agents in 2023 that he had entered the country unlawfully from Mexico, Huang was released into the U.S. by the Biden Administration and provided with work authorization papers and a Social Security card. Those documents enabled him to obtain a Class B CDL in New York, setting the stage for last week’s fatal pile‑up.
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In a joint statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Transportation (USDOT) confirmed Huang’s illegal alien status and his failure of the English proficiency test.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated:
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.
Secretary Duffy added:
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. The fact that this individual failed a basic English test also calls into question how he even got the license in the first place.
Days after the crash, Duffy escalated his criticism of New York, accusing the state of knowingly issuing CDLs to illegal aliens, Breitbart reported. He warned that unless New York revokes those licenses, the federal government will withhold $73 million in highway funding.
Duffy’s ultimatum underscores the growing clash between federal safety regulators and sanctuary state policies. Critics argue New York’s licensing practices have created a pipeline of unqualified foreign drivers onto American highways, endangering lives and undermining federal standards.
The Tennessee tragedy now stands as a case study in systemic failure:
- An Immigration enforcement collapse during the Biden administration allowed Huang to remain in the U.S. illegally.
- State licensing loopholes enabled him to obtain a CDL despite failing English proficiency.
- Oversight gaps left Americans exposed to preventable danger.
With one American dead and others injured, Duffy’s threat to cut funding signals a new phase in the battle over CDL licensing and immigration enforcement.
The death of Kerry Smith has become emblematic of a larger crisis: illegal immigration, sanctuary licensing, and federal negligence converging on America’s highways. As DHS and DOT promise reforms and New York faces a $73 million ultimatum, the question remains whether systemic loopholes will be closed before more lives are lost.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
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