Trump slams immigration policy after Indian-origin motel manager’s murder in Dallas

President Donald Trump has decried immigration policy forged under his predecessor, Joe Biden, in the wake of the brutal beheading of an Indian-origin motel manager in Dallas, allegedly by an undocumented Cuban immigrant with a prior criminal record.

Posting on Truth, his social media platform, Trump called the attacker an “Illegal Alien” who should have been deported, blaming what he called lenient policies of Biden for it.

"Being soft on these Illegal Immigrant Criminals is OVER," he said.

Also read: Indian-origin motel manager beheaded in front of wife, son in US; co-worker arrested

Chandra Mouli "Bob" Nagamallaiah, 50, originally from Karnataka, was attacked with a machete on September 10 at the Downtown Suites Motel, where he lived and worked.

The assault, carried out in front of his wife and 18-year-old son, has deeply shaken the Indian-American community.

Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, 37, has been charged with capital murder.

US immigration officials confirmed he was previously detained but released in January 2025 after Cuba refused to accept his deportation.

Nagamallaiah's funeral took place on September 13 in Flower Mound, Texas, attended by close family and friends.

A fundraiser to support his family has raised over USD 3,21,326.  The killing has renewed debate over immigration enforcement and the challenges US authorities face when countries decline to accept deportees.