The Department of Homeland Security has criticized news outlets for characterizing the suspect in a violent Wisconsin machete attack as a local resident rather than identifying him as an illegal immigrant. David Joel Herrera-Garcia, 24, faces two counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault and armed burglary following an alleged break-in and machete assault at his ex-girlfriend's home in Green Bay on April 20.
According to DHS, Herrera-Garcia is a Nicaraguan national who entered the United States illegally with his father in Texas as a minor in 2019. He received a final order of removal in 2022 after failing to appear for immigration court hearings, according to the agency. DHS said that in the closing days of the Biden administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement used prosecutorial discretion to designate Herrera-Garcia as a "non-enforcement priority." ICE under Biden did not take him into custody following an earlier arrest by local authorities on charges of driving without a license.
Police responding to an emergency call discovered bloodied victims at the home in the early morning hours of April 20. Officers applied tourniquets and transported two victims to a hospital. The female victim, Herrera-Garcia's 23-year-old ex-girlfriend, suffered head injuries and lacerations to her hand and neck. A male victim sustained wounds to his shoulder, forearm and shin. Police said they found blood "all over the concrete" leading up to the house. Herrera-Garcia was identified as the attacker by the female victim and arrested later that morning.
DHS has lodged an immigration detainer with Brown County Jail seeking custody of Herrera-Garcia for possible deportation proceedings under the Trump administration.
What the Right Is Saying
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis of DHS sharply criticized media coverage of the case in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. "Despite the legacy media calling Herrera-Garcia a 'Green Bay man,' he is in fact an illegal alien from Nicaragua," Bis said. "Yet again, legacy media has gone to bat for a vicious criminal illegal alien allowed by the Biden administration to roam our streets and prey upon innocent people."
Bis argued that the case illustrates broader failures of sanctuary city policies and immigration enforcement priorities under previous administrations. "The Biden administration marked this criminal illegal alien as a non-enforcement priority," she said. "This is not a 'Green Bay man.' This is a criminal illegal alien from Nicaragua who barbarically attacked two people with a machete."
Bis has previously criticized jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, saying that sanctuary politicians have "at every step on the way to make America safe again" attempted to slow ICE down and "chosen to release criminals from their jails into our communities." The Trump administration has made immigration enforcement a central policy priority since taking office.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive advocates for immigrant rights have historically argued that broad enforcement priorities can lead to collateral impacts on communities and distract from focusing resources on those with serious criminal histories. Critics of aggressive deportation tactics say that lengthy detention periods and mandatory removal orders can separate families and create instability, particularly for individuals who arrived as children.
Immigration attorneys have noted in broader contexts that prosecutorial discretion—the practice of prioritizing which immigration cases to pursue—is a long-standing tool used by both Democratic and Republican administrations to manage. Some advocates have argued that such prioritization is necessary for the immigration system to function efficiently while allowing courts to focus on the most serious cases.
Fox News Digital reached out to immigrant rights organizations and Brown County officials seeking comment for this article. No response was received by publication time.
What the Numbers Show
Herrera-Garcia entered the United States illegally in 2019 as an unaccompanied minor crossing at the southern border with his father, according to DHS. He was ordered removed in absentia in 2022 after failing to appear for scheduled immigration court hearings—a process that immigration advocates note can be difficult to navigate without legal representation.
The machete attack resulted in two victims requiring hospitalization, according to police reports. Herrera-Garcia is being held at Brown County Jail on the criminal charges while DHS has filed an immigration detainer seeking custody transfer to ICE.
Fox News Digital contacted the Brown County Sheriff's Office and representatives for former President Biden requesting comment on this story.
The Bottom Line
The case has become a focal point in ongoing debates about immigration enforcement priorities and media coverage of crimes involving foreign nationals. DHS officials argue that labeling suspects by their location rather than immigration status obscures relevant information for public safety.
Under current Trump administration policy, ICE has broad authority to pursue removal proceedings against individuals with final orders of removal regardless of how long they have resided in the United States. Herrera-Garcia remains in Brown County custody pending resolution of both his criminal charges and potential immigration proceedings.
The incident adds to a body of cases that both sides cite as evidence for their respective positions on border security, prosecutorial discretion and sanctuary jurisdiction policies.