Distracted by a video: Bus driver involved in fatal crash entered U.S. illegally under Biden

An illegal migrant obtained a commercial license in the sanctuary state of New York before allegedly causing a deadly highway accident in Tennessee earlier this month.

Yisong Huang, a 54-year-old Chinese national involved in a horrific multi-car pile-up in Tennessee on Dec. 9, entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2023 and was released by the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Despite having obtained a commercial driver’s license (CDL) by New York State officials, Huang failed an English language proficiency test following the crash.

“Far too many innocent Americans have been killed by illegal aliens driving semi-trucks and big rigs,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “And yet, sanctuary states around the country have been issuing illegal aliens commercial driver’s licenses.”

“The Trump Administration is ending the chaos,” Noem continued. “The brave men and women of ICE are working nonstop to get criminal illegal aliens out of our communities and off our roads.”

The Chinese national allegedly rear-ended a tractor-trailer while traveling westbound on I-40, causing a multi-vehicle crash that resulted in the death of Kerry Smith, an American citizen, according to DHS. Huang — who was not transporting any passengers in his bus at the time of the accident — was allegedly distracted by a video on his phone.

Border Patrol encountered Huang sometime in 2023 along the U.S.-Mexico border, where he admitted to federal agents that he entered the country unlawfully, the agency reported. The Biden administration not only released him into the country but also provided him with work authorization and a social security card, allowing him to later obtain a Class B CDL, according to the New York Post.

The incident makes Huang just the latest illegal migrant commercial driver to be accused of causing a deadly traffic accident.

Harjinder Singh, an Indian national who illegally entered the U.S., is accused of taking an unlawful U-turn off a Florida turnpike in August, blocking all lanes and instantly killing three people in a vehicle that smashed into his tractor-trailer. Jashanpreet Singh, another Indian national in the U.S. illegally, allegedly rammed into multiple vehicles off a California highway in October, killing three individuals in the process.

Rajinder Kumar, an Indian national arrested in late November for allegedly causing a fatal accident along an Oregon highway, is currently wanted by DHS for being in the country unlawfully. Kamalpreet Singh, yet another illegal migrant from India, is accused of causing a deadly accident in Washington State earlier this month while driving a semi-truck.

In response to the slate of horrific semi-truck accidents, the Trump administration issued emergency rules mandating non-citizens undergo a federal immigration status check and carry an employment-based visa if they wish to earn a non-domiciled CDL. White House officials also threatened non-compliant states with millions in federal funding cuts if they don’t take immediate action to fix their CDL programs.

Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday threatened to withhold tens of millions in federal taxpayer highway funds from New York and other sanctuary states that are issuing CDLs to illegal migrants. Duffy has already pulled millions from California for similar issues.

“It’s not just that Joe Biden let millions of migrants flood into our country illegally,” Duffy said in a prepared statement Wednesday. “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 [Huang] failed a basic English test also calls into question how he even got the license in the first place,” Duffy continued. “Working with Secretary Noem, we will continue to fight to keep you and your family safe on America’s roadways.”

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