US President Donald Trump has promised the “fullest extent” of justice after the brutal killing of Chandra Nagamallaiah, a 41-year-old Indian man who was decapitated in Dallas last week by an undocumented Cuban immigrant. In a fiery post on Truth Social, Trump said his administration would charge 37-year-old Yordanis Cobos-Martinez with first-degree murder and vowed that his government would no longer be “soft” on illegal immigrant criminals.
“I am aware of the terrible reports regarding the murder of Chandra Nagamallaiah, a well-respected person in Dallas, Texas, who was brutally beheaded in front of his wife and son by an illegal alien from Cuba who should have never been in our Country,” Trump wrote. “Rest assured, the time for being soft on these Illegal Immigrant Criminals is OVER under my watch!”
The attack, captured on motel CCTV footage, shocked the community and went viral online. The video showed Martinez repeatedly striking Nagamallaiah with a machete before decapitating him and placing the victim’s head in a dumpster. Martinez, who has a violent criminal history including prior arrests for child sex abuse, grand theft auto, and false imprisonment, had been released from ICE custody in January 2025 under the Biden administration after Cuba refused to repatriate him.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that ICE has initiated removal proceedings against Martinez, even as he faces capital murder charges in Texas. DHS officials also criticized the prior administration’s handling of the case, saying the killing was “completely preventable” had Martinez not been released under an Order of Supervision earlier this year.
The gruesome murder has reignited debate over immigration enforcement in the U.S., with Trump promising stricter border controls and tougher detention policies to “make America safe again.”