A brutal attack at a San Antonio park left a three-year-old Texas girl missing two teeth after an illegal immigrant allegedly bit her face and assaulted her mother. Federal authorities now confirm the suspect had previously been arrested for felony assault—but the Biden administration released him anyway, determining the crime wasn’t serious enough to warrant deportation action.

The Attack That Shocked San Antonio

On April 18, 2026, San Antonio police responded to Espada Park where they found Atharva Vyas, a 24-year-old illegal immigrant from India, restrained by a bystander. Gabriella Perez, 27, told investigators that Vyas emerged from the woods without warning and began violently attacking her while she fished with her daughter. The suspect pulled Perez’s hair, causing her to drop her child, then attempted to gouge the mother’s eyes with his thumbs. When the toddler fell to the ground, Vyas allegedly began biting the child’s face, leaving permanent injuries including facial wounds and the loss of two teeth. Witnesses described the scene as horrifying, with one comparing it to something from a zombie film.

Prior Arrest Ignored by Biden Officials

Department of Homeland Security records reveal Vyas entered the United States in August 2023 on a student visa. Three months later, University of Texas police arrested him for felony assault and notified Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Despite the violent felony charge, Biden administration officials determined the crime was not egregious enough to revoke his visa or take immigration enforcement action. Vyas remained free in American communities for another 16 months. The Trump administration later revoked his student visa in April 2025 due to the prior assault arrest, but by then the damage was done. ICE has now lodged a detainer requesting San Antonio authorities transfer Vyas to federal custody after he completes criminal proceedings on charges including injury to a child with intent to cause bodily injury and illegal entry from a foreign nation.

Federal Officials Condemn Release Decision

Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis issued a scathing statement condemning the Biden administration’s failure to act after Vyas’s first arrest. She called the attack completely preventable and stated the previous administration should never have released someone she described as an animal following his assault arrest. The case highlights ongoing tensions between federal immigration authorities and local jurisdictions over cooperation with ICE detainers. Dallas recently updated its immigration policy after state officials threatened to withhold more than 32 million dollars in public safety grants. The incident also raises questions about oversight of foreign student visa programs, particularly as Texas universities generate hundreds of millions in revenue from international students. Texas A&M alone collected over 106 million dollars in tuition and fees from international students during the 2024-2025 academic year.