A 3-year-old Texas girl lost two teeth after a stranger allegedly attacked her and her mother at a San Antonio park — and DHS says the Biden administration took no immigration enforcement action after the suspect’s prior felony assault arrest.
The Department of Homeland Security said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer against Atharva Vyas, a 24-year-old illegal alien from India, after San Antonio police arrested him in connection with the April 18 alleged attack at Espada Park.
San Antonio police responded just before 3 p.m. to the park in the 1700 block of Southeast Military Drive, KSAT reported.
Officers found Vyas restrained by a bystander who had witnessed the alleged assault. The witness did not know Vyas or the victims.
Gabriella Perez, 27, told KSAT that she and her family were fishing at the park when the attack happened. She said Vyas was a stranger who appeared from the woods before he began punching her and grabbing her by the hair, causing her to drop her daughter.
The San Antonio Police Department’s preliminary report said Vyas pulled Perez’s hair as she walked away with the child. Perez fell to the ground and dropped her daughter, police said.
“He tried poking at (her) eyes with his thumb,” Perez said. “He hit me. He was a big man. I just remember laying there and looking for (her daughter) and I just see him on top trying to do the thumb.”
Perez said Vyas began biting her daughter’s face. She compared the attack to a horror scene.
“I think when everyone was there, I got up and was like this is like a f—— zombie movie. Like what the heck,” Perez said.
Police said the child suffered serious bodily injury. DHS said the child suffered bodily and facial injuries, including bite marks and the loss of two teeth.
Vyas faces multiple charges, including injury to a child with intent to cause bodily injury, assault causing bodily injury, and illegal entry from a foreign nation.
DHS Points To Prior Assault Arrest
DHS said Vyas first entered the United States in August 2023 on a student visa.
Three months later, University of Texas police arrested Vyas for felony assault and contacted ICE, according to DHS.
The agency said the Biden administration determined the prior crime was not “egregious” enough to warrant visa revocation and took no immigration enforcement action against him.
The Trump administration revoked Vyas’ F-1 visa in April 2025 because of the prior assault arrest, DHS said.
ICE lodged a detainer on April 18 requesting that San Antonio officials turn Vyas over to federal immigration authorities after he faces the criminal justice system.
“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,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in the DHS release.
“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.”
Immigration Enforcement Scrutiny
The case comes as Texas cities face renewed scrutiny over how local police departments cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Dallas recently updated its police immigration policy after state officials warned that the city could lose roughly $32.1 million in public safety grants.
The updated policy says Dallas officers may ask about immigration status after a lawful detention or arrest, cooperate with federal immigration officers when reasonable or necessary, and share immigration-status information with ICE or other law enforcement agencies.
The case also comes amid broader scrutiny of foreign student visa programs and long-term immigration pathways.
Texas A&M University generated more than $106 million in tuition and fees from international students during the 2024–2025 academic year, including large student populations from India and China, as previously reported by The Dallas Express,
DHS said victims of illegal alien crime may contact the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office at 1-855-488-6423.
SAPD said it remains unclear what led to the alleged assault, and the investigation is ongoing.
