This is not a 'Green Bay man.' This is a criminal illegal alien.
In the aftermath of a machete attack in Green Bay that left two people gravely wounded, the Department of Homeland Security turned its attention not only to the alleged perpetrator but to the language used to describe him — arguing that calling David Joel Herrera-Garcia a 'Green Bay man' quietly erased the immigration history that, in the agency's view, made the attack preventable. The case has become a focal point in the enduring American argument over how enforcement priorities are set, who bears responsibility when they fail, and whether the words chosen to tell a story can themselves become a form of policy.
- Two people were left bleeding on the floor of a home in Green Bay after a man allegedly used a key to enter and attack them with a machete, leaving wounds severe enough to require tourniquets at the scene.
- DHS moved quickly to reframe the story, insisting that describing the suspect simply as a 'Green Bay man' concealed the fact that he was an undocumented Nicaraguan national with a 2022 removal order who had been shielded from deportation under Biden-era enforcement discretion.
- The agency's pointed statement accused media outlets of effectively running cover for what it called a failure of administrative will — a man flagged for removal, arrested once before, and still left free to allegedly commit a violent felony.
- ICE has now lodged a detainer to ensure deportation if Herrera-Garcia is released, while the Trump administration holds up the case as evidence that sanctuary-adjacent policies and prosecutorial discretion carry a human cost.
- The case lands in the middle of a live national debate about how local jurisdictions cooperate with federal immigration enforcement — and whether the language of news coverage shapes public understanding of that system's consequences.
On the morning of April 20, Green Bay police arrived at a home to find two people with serious machete wounds. A 23-year-old woman had injuries to her head, neck, and hands; a man had been cut across his shoulder, forearm, and shin. Officers applied tourniquets before paramedics arrived. The woman identified her ex-boyfriend, David Joel Herrera-Garcia, 24, as her attacker. He was arrested that morning and now faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and armed burglary.
The violence was severe enough on its own terms. But the Department of Homeland Security saw a second story embedded inside it — one about how the attack was being described. News outlets had referred to Herrera-Garcia as a 'Green Bay man,' a framing DHS argued stripped away a critical layer of context: he is an undocumented immigrant from Nicaragua who entered the United States illegally in Texas in 2019 as a minor, received a final removal order in 2022 after missing immigration hearings, and was nonetheless classified as a 'non-enforcement priority' by the Biden administration — even after a prior arrest for driving without a license.
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis issued a sharp statement on behalf of DHS, saying the media had 'gone to bat for a vicious criminal illegal alien' and insisting on a pointed distinction: 'This is not a Green Bay man. This is a criminal illegal alien from Nicaragua who barbarically attacked two people with a machete.' The agency argued that the choice of language was not neutral — that it shaped public understanding of both the crime and the system that allowed the defendant to remain in the country despite a standing removal order.
Under the current administration, ICE has lodged a detainer with local authorities to ensure Herrera-Garcia faces deportation proceedings. The case has become a flashpoint in the broader debate over sanctuary policies and the limits of prosecutorial discretion — with DHS holding it up as evidence that administrative choices about enforcement priorities carry consequences that eventually arrive at someone's door.
On the morning of April 20, Green Bay police responded to an emergency call at a residential address and found two people bleeding heavily. A woman, 23, had wounds to her head, neck, and hands. A man had injuries across his shoulder, forearm, and shin. Both had been attacked with a machete. Officers applied tourniquets at the scene before paramedics transported them to a hospital. The woman identified her attacker as David Joel Herrera-Garcia, 24, her ex-boyfriend. He was arrested later that morning.
Herrera-Garcia now faces two counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and armed burglary. According to the Department of Homeland Security, he allegedly used a key to enter the home, then beat and repeatedly stabbed both victims with the machete. The case itself—a violent home invasion—would be serious enough. But DHS saw something else in how the story was being told.
The agency issued a statement criticizing news outlets for describing Herrera-Garcia simply as a "Green Bay man." That framing, DHS argued, obscured a crucial fact: Herrera-Garcia is an undocumented immigrant from Nicaragua. More than that, he had been issued a final removal order in 2022 after failing to appear at immigration hearings. Yet he remained in the country, and DHS says the Biden administration had classified him as a "non-enforcement priority," meaning ICE chose not to pursue his deportation even after his arrest on an unrelated charge of driving without a license.
Herrera-Garcia's immigration history traces back to 2019, when he entered the United States illegally in Texas as a minor traveling with his father. For years he remained in the country despite the removal order. Then, in the final days of the Biden administration, ICE invoked prosecutorial discretion to keep him off the enforcement priority list. Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis, speaking for DHS, characterized this decision as a failure: "The Biden administration marked this criminal illegal alien as a non-enforcement priority." She added that under the Trump administration, ICE has now lodged a detainer with local authorities to ensure his deportation.
The statement from DHS was pointed. Bis said the media had "gone to bat for a vicious criminal illegal alien allowed by the Biden administration to roam our streets and prey upon innocent people." She emphasized the distinction: "This is not a 'Green Bay man.' This is a criminal illegal alien from Nicaragua who barbarically attacked two people with a machete." The framing matters, DHS insisted, because it shapes how the public understands both the crime and the immigration system that allowed the defendant to remain in the country.
The case has landed amid a broader national conversation about sanctuary jurisdictions—cities and counties that limit their cooperation with ICE. Bis has previously criticized sanctuary politicians for what she describes as obstructing enforcement efforts and allowing criminals to be released back into communities. The Herrera-Garcia case, in DHS's telling, is evidence of that pattern: a man with a removal order, classified as low priority, allegedly committing a violent felony.
Two people were seriously injured in the attack. Both required emergency medical care. The woman suffered a head injury and deep cuts. The man sustained wounds that needed tourniquets. They survived, but the violence was severe. Now the case sits at the intersection of criminal justice and immigration enforcement, with DHS using it to argue that media language and administrative policy choices have real consequences for public safety.
Citas Notables
The Biden administration marked this criminal illegal alien as a non-enforcement priority.— Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis, DHS
Under President Trump's leadership, ICE lodged an arrest detainer with our local authorities to ensure this monster is never released back into our communities.— Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis, DHS
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did DHS feel the need to correct the media's language here? The crime happened—the victims were hurt. Does it matter what we call the person charged?
It matters to DHS because they see the language as hiding the policy failure. If you call him a "Green Bay man," you're describing him as a resident, a local. You're not signaling that he's someone who should have been deported years ago. The agency is arguing that the media softened the story by omitting immigration status.
But he did live in Green Bay. He'd been there since 2019. Isn't that factually accurate?
Yes, but DHS would say accuracy isn't the same as completeness. He lived there illegally, under a removal order, in a status the Biden administration chose not to enforce. From DHS's perspective, that context is essential to understanding how the attack happened at all.
So this is really about the Biden administration's enforcement choices, not about the crime itself?
It's both. The crime is real and serious. But DHS is using it to argue that prosecutorial discretion—deciding not to deport someone—has consequences. They're saying: here's what happens when you mark someone as a non-enforcement priority.
What about the victims? Are they part of this argument, or are they just evidence?
They're both. Their injuries are real and documented. But in DHS's statement, they become proof of a policy failure. The agency is saying the victims wouldn't have been hurt if the system had worked differently. That's a powerful claim, but it's also a way of using their suffering to make a political point.
Is there a counterargument here—something DHS isn't addressing?
Plenty. Most undocumented immigrants don't commit violent crimes. Herrera-Garcia's status doesn't explain why he attacked his ex-girlfriend—that's a separate question about his individual choices. DHS is implying a direct line from immigration policy to this specific crime, but that's harder to prove than it sounds.