Former US President Donald Trump has condemned the Biden administration’s immigration policies following the brutal murder of Indian-origin motel manager Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah in Dallas. The 50-year-old, originally from Karnataka, was attacked with a machete on September 10 at the Downtown Suites Motel, where he lived and worked, in front of his wife and 18-year-old son.
Trump, posting on his platform Truth Social, blamed lenient immigration enforcement for the killing. Referring to the accused as an “Illegal Alien” who should have been deported, Trump declared: “Being soft on these Illegal Immigrant Criminals is OVER.”
The accused, 37-year-old undocumented Cuban immigrant Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, has been charged with capital murder. US immigration officials confirmed that he had a prior criminal record and was previously detained but released in January 2025 after Cuba refused to accept his deportation.
Nagamallaiah’s funeral was held on September 13 in Flower Mound, Texas, attended by close family and friends. The Indian-American community has been left shaken, with a fundraiser for the bereaved family already raising over USD 321,326. The killing has reignited debate over US immigration enforcement and the difficulties faced when deportations are blocked by home countries.
