An undocumented migrant is facing charges after allegedly biting a 3-year-old girl in the face during a violent encounter at a park in Texas, according to local authorities. Following his arrest, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a detainer for the suspect.
The incident occurred on April 18 at Espada Park, when Gabriella Perez, 27, and her 3-year-old daughter, Amelia, were reportedly attacked by 24-year-old Artharva Vyas, a national of India, as reported by the San Antonio police.
According to police reports, Vyas is accused of assaulting Gabriella Perez by yanking her hair and striking her, causing her to drop her young daughter. He then allegedly attacked the child, biting her on the face.
This case has sparked controversy due to Vyas’s prior legal issues. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed that he had been arrested earlier for an alleged felony assault after entering the U.S. on a student visa in 2023, but he was not deported.
Eyewitnesses managed to restrain Vyas until law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, according to the police.
Witnesses restrained Vyas until officers arrived, according to police.
The child’s mother later described the attack as something “out of a zombie movie.”
Since the attack, Perez created a GoFundMe page, saying her daughter lost two teeth and “has needed constant care, comfort, and reassurance.”
“She is unable to return to daycare or be left with anyone else, so I have had to take time away from work to be by her side,” the page’s description reads.
Vyas was charged with injury to a child with intent to cause bodily injury, assault causing bodily injury, and illegal entry, according to authorities. He was booked into the Bexar County Detention Center.
ICE has lodged a detainer requesting that local authorities transfer Vyas to federal custody after his criminal proceedings, according to DHS.
DHS said Vyas first entered the United States in August 2023 on a student visa. Three months later, he was arrested on the University of Texas campus on charges of felony assault, and university police contacted ICE.
According to DHS, “the Biden Admin determined the crime was not egregious enough to warrant visa revocation and decided to take no enforcement action against Vyas.”
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis condemned the earlier decision not to revoke Vyas’ visa.
“This criminal illegal alien brutally bit this child and caused her to lose two teeth. This barbaric assault against this woman and her three-year-old in a park was completely preventable,” she said. “The Biden administration NEVER should have released this animal following his arrest for assault. We are working with our partners in Texas to ensure this criminal illegal alien never roams free in American communities again.”
DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.
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