U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) scolded a sanctuary county in Maryland after an illegal immigrant accused of murder was released from local custody despite a retainer request.
ICE arrested 32-year-old Rene Pop-Chub, a Guatemalan national, in Hyattsville, Maryland, on Saturday, four days after Prince Georges County Department of Corrections released Pop-Chub back into the community.
Prince Georges County Department of Corrections (PGCDC) failed to honor an ICE immigration detainer on Pop-Chub, according to ICE, which said Pop-Chub is facing charges of murder, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.
“When jurisdictions refuse to honor our immigration detainers, they put their own communities at risk — as was the case here, where a dangerous illegal alien charged with murder and assault was released back onto the streets,” ICE Baltimore Acting Field Office Director Nikita Baker said in a written statement.
“Thanks to the unwavering dedication and tireless efforts of our officers, this individual has been taken back into custody,” Baker continued. “Their work ensures that he will now face justice and will no longer pose a threat to public safety in Maryland.”
Pop-Chub was deported back to Guatemala in 2023 and 2017 after he illegally entered the U.S., ICE said. It is unclear when and where Pop-Chub illegally re-entered the U.S. for a third time.
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Authorities caught up with Pop-Chub on Aug. 19, 2024, when the Prince George’s County Police Department arrested him and charged him with first-degree assault.
ICE Baltimore lodged an immigration detainer with the (PGCDC) on Oct. 9, 2024, and later that month the District Court for Prince George’s County forwarded Pop-Chub’s case to the Circuit Court for Prince George’s for charges of murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.
The PGCDC, however, declined to honor ICE’s immigration detainer and released Pop-Chub from custody April 8, ICE said.
Following his arrest on Saturday, Pop-Chub was transferred to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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