Immigration Enforcement Targets Illegal Alien Charged with Strangling Infant
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is targeting an illegal alien, Alvaro Mejia-Ayala, who is charged with strangling his infant sister with a power cord, leaving the baby in critical condition. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lodged a detainer against Mejia-Ayala after his arrest in Leesburg, Virginia.
According to the Leesburg Police Department, police responded to a report of an infant not breathing on the morning of Sept. 17. The department said it discovered the baby had been the victim of an assault and that Mejia-Ayala had fled on foot. Local Fox affiliate Fox 5 reported that the infant was found unresponsive with a white charging cable around her neck.
With the assistance of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, the department tracked down Mejia-Ayala. He is now in custody and is being charged with strangulation. According to DHS, the baby is in critical condition.
A spokesperson for the agency informed Fox News Digital that Mejia-Ayala entered the U.S. as part of a family unit from El Salvador during the Obama administration in 2016. The spokesperson said that on Oct. 17, 2024, the Biden administration dismissed Mejia-Ayala’s immigration case, allowing him to illegally remain in the U.S. indefinitely.
DHS also noted that Mejia-Ayala was previously arrested by police for reckless driving in 2024, but he was released ‘before ICE could even lodge a detainer.’ The Virginia General District Court online database indicates that Mejia-Ayala pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving in February 2024. The database also lists several other charges against Mejia-Ayala, including driving without a license in 2023 and failure to display license plates in 2024 and 2025.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin commented on the case, stating, ‘ICE lodged an immigration detainer to ensure this heinous criminal is not released on U.S. streets.’ McLaughlin condemned the crime as ‘pure evil’ and emphasized the administration’s stance against illegal aliens. ‘What kind of sick monster strangles a defenseless, innocent baby girl with a charging cord? This barbarism has no place in the U.S.,’ she said.
In a separate message posted to X, McLaughlin wrote, ‘Pray for this precious baby girl. May God cover her and protect her.’ Homeland Security also referred to Mejia-Ayala as a ‘monster’ and the case as an example of ‘PURE EVIL.’ The agency added, ‘This criminal illegal alien STRANGLED AN INFANT with a charging cable. President Trump and @Sec_Noem will not allow this barbarism in America.’
A spokesperson for Biden declined to comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to Obama spokespeople but did not receive a response by the time of publication.