Federal immigration authorities are seeking custody of a “sick monster” accused of strangling an infant baby nearly to death.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer for Alvaro Mejia-Ayala, a 23-year-old illegal migrant arrested in Loudon County, Virginia, for allegedly wrapping a charging cord around his baby sister and nearly killing her, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Prior administrations released Mejia-Ayala into the U.S. and allowed him to remain indefinitely before his alleged assault.
“What kind of sick monster strangles a defenseless, innocent baby girl with a charging cord? This barbarism has no place in the U.S.,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a public statement.
“ICE lodged an immigration detainer to ensure this heinous criminal is not released on U.S. streets,” McLaughlin continued. “President Trump and Secretary Noem have been clear: criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States. We pray for this precious baby.”
Alvaro Mejia-Ayala. DHS image.
The illegal migrant first entered the U.S. as a family unit in 2016 and was released into the interior of the country by the Obama administration, according to DHS. The Biden administration — which oversaw record levels of illegal immigration — dismissed his immigration case in October 2024, effectively allowing him to remain unlawfully in the country indefinitely.
Mejia-Ayala was previously arrested for reckless driving in 2024, but was released by local law enforcement before ICE could lodge a detainer, according to DHS.
The Leesburg Police Department arrested Mejia-Ayala on Sept. 17, their office confirmed in a press release. Officers had responded to a report of an infant not breathing. The baby remains hospitalized and in critical condition.
On the day of the incident, Mejia-Ayala had contacted a friend for a ride and allegedly said he was “playing with his sister and may have killed her,” according to court documents obtained by FOX 5. The responding officers who arrived on scene found the baby girl unresponsive with a white charging cable wrapped around her neck.
The illegal migrant is being held without bond and currently charged with a felony count of strangulation, but additional charges could come, depending on the baby’s fate.
“The biggest single variable in the incident is whether the child dies,” criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Jeremy Rosenthal stated to FOX 5. “If the child dies, then this is a capital case.”
Immigration enforcement has become a central issue across Virginia as the Trump administration continues its large-scale crackdown on illegal immigration and voters in the state prepare for an off-year election in November. Democratic Virginia gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger vowed one of her first actions in office would be to rescind an executive order issued by term-limited GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin that requires law enforcement to cooperate with ICE agents.
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