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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) included Cuban Yordanis Cobos-Martínez among the “worst of the worst illegal foreign criminals” on whom the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took action during 2025, according to a report released on January 20, 2026.
The statement emphasized that during the first year of Donald Trump's second term, over 670,000 illegal immigrants were expelled, including "murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists," and that another two million left the country voluntarily.
“On President Trump's first day in office, he empowered ICE to target the worst of the worst illegal foreign criminals, including pedophiles, murderers, gang members, terrorists, and rapists,” stated Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin. “We will not rest until American communities are free from the scourge of crime by illegal aliens,” she added.
The case of the Cuban Yordanis Cobos-Martínez
The DHS report describes Cobos-Martínez as an "illegal immigrant from Cuba with a history of child sexual abuse, vehicle theft, false imprisonment, and carjacking." According to the document, he was arrested by the Dallas Police Department at a motel in that city "for murder," after allegedly beheading a merchant with a machete "in front of his wife and child," and then "kicking the victim's head like it was a soccer ball." ICE issued an immigration detainer following his arrest.
The crime occurred on September 10, 2025 at the Downtown Suites Motel, where Cobos-Martínez worked as a cleaning staff member. According to court documents, he attacked the manager of the establishment, Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, 50 years old, with a machete following a work-related argument. The assault, according to police reports and testimonies gathered in Dallas, occurred in front of the manager's wife and son, who witnessed the incident.
The Cuban was arrested shortly after, walking with bloodied clothes and the weapon in hand. Authorities charged him with capital murder and he remains detained in the Dallas County jail with a bond of 1.25 million dollars and an immigration detention order.
A prior criminal record and a failed attempt at deportation
Court records indicate that Cobos-Martínez, 37, had a criminal record in several states. In 2023, he was convicted in California for assault and had been previously arrested in Florida and Houston for vehicle theft, unlawful detention, and indecency with a minor (a charge that was later dismissed).
In January 2025, ICE attempted to deport him to Cuba, but the Cuban regime refused to accept him. According to federal documents, the agency released him after determining that “there was no significant likelihood of removal in the foreseeable future.” Months later, he committed the crime that shocked Dallas and led the county prosecutor to formally charge him with capital murder.
During her first court hearing, prosecutor Julie Johnson stated before Judge Lela Mays that the state of Texas did not intend to seek the death penalty, although “it reserves the right to change its mind if any unforeseen circumstances arise.”
Other names included in the DHS report
The DHS list also mentions other foreign criminals arrested by ICE in 2025, including Gerson Emir Cuadra Soto, leader of the MS-13 gang in Honduras accused of a quadruple homicide; Harpreet Singh, an Indian citizen linked to a terrorist group; and Michel Jordan Castellano Fonseca, a Venezuelan with alleged connections to the Tren de Aragua, accused of murdering his sister-in-law and attempting to kill his wife in Colorado.
The report emphasizes that "70% of ICE arrests involve illegal immigrants who have been convicted or charged with a crime in the United States."
A warning about immigration control
The DHS concludes its assessment by stating that it will continue "deporting dangerous illegal aliens from American communities," in line with the security and border control policies of the Donald Trump administration.
The case of Yordanis Cobos-Martínez remains awaiting trial in Texas. His name now appears among the most dangerous foreign criminals identified by U.S. authorities in 2025.
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