Brade
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has strongly condemned a sanctuary county in Maryland after an illegal immigrant accused of murder was released from local custody, despite a retainer request. ICE apprehended Rene Pop-Chub, a 32-year-old Guatemalan national, in Hyattsville, Maryland, on Saturday—four days after the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections (PGCDC) released him back into the community.
According to ICE, the PGCDC failed to honor an immigration detainer for Pop-Chub, who 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,” said Nikita Baker, Acting Field Office Director of ICE Baltimore, in a written statement.
“Thanks to the unwavering dedication and tireless efforts of our officers, this individual has been taken back into custody,” Baker added. “Their work ensures that he will now face justice and will no longer pose a threat to public safety in Maryland.”
Pop-Chub has a history of illegal entry into the U.S., having been deported to Guatemala in 2023 and 2017. It remains unclear when and where he illegally re-entered the country for a third time. Authorities initially apprehended him on August 19, 2024, when the Prince George’s County Police Department arrested and charged him with first-degree assault.
On October 9, 2024, ICE Baltimore lodged an immigration detainer with the PGCDC. Later that month, the District Court for Prince George’s County forwarded Pop-Chub’s case to the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, where he faces charges of murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment. However, the PGCDC declined to honor the detainer and released Pop-Chub on April 8.
Following his arrest on Saturday, Pop-Chub was transferred to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
For more information, visit [ICE.gov](https://www.ice.gov).
