Trump calls Dallas machete killing ‘terrible’ immigration failure

President Donald Trump says the killing of Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah in Dallas, Texas is a “terrible” crime and the result of immigration enforcement failures.

The Truth Social post names 37-year-old Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a Cuban national with a history of arrests in the U.S. Trump says the crime was carried out by an “illegal alien from Cuba who should have never been in our country.”

Cobos-Martinez allegedly attacked Nagamallaiah with a machete at a downtown motel, stabbing and beheading him in front of his wife and son. Witnesses say the violence began after a dispute over a broken washing machine and a language barrier.

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Cobos-Martinez was arrested at the scene and charged with capital murder. Trump alleges he should never have been released after prior convictions and deportation attempts, blaming former President Joe Biden.

“This individual was previously arrested for terrible crimes, including child sex abuse, grand theft auto and false imprisonment, but was released back into our homeland under incompetent Joe Biden because Cuba did not want such an evil person in their country. Rest assured, the time for being soft on these illegal immigrant criminals is OVER under my watch!” Trump wrote.

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Cobos-Martinez had a prior final order of removal to Cuba and was most recently held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Dallas before being released on an order of supervision on Jan. 13, 2025, during the Biden administration. The release occurred because Cuba declined to accept his return due to his criminal record, according to ICE. The issue is a recurring problem in U.S. immigration enforcement.

Trump also praised Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi for “doing an incredible job” of strengthening enforcement, while vowing that offenders will face prosecution “to the fullest extent of the law.”