PHILADELPHIA — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have deported Romeo Pop Sacui, a Guatemalan national wanted in his home country on multiple charges, including child abuse and violence against women. Pop was removed from the United States on Oct. 22, according to Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia.
Pop entered the U.S. unlawfully on March 14, 2019, and was apprehended near Calexico, California, by U.S. Border Patrol agents. The next day, agents served him a notice to appear before an immigration judge and transferred him to ERO San Diego. He was released under the Alternatives to Detention program but absconded shortly thereafter. On May 24, 2019, a Department of Justice immigration judge ordered Pop removed from the U.S. in absentia.
Pop remained at large until September 2024, when he was arrested by Harrisburg Police in Pennsylvania for charges including simple assault and strangulation. ERO Philadelphia took him into custody later that month during an enforcement operation and detained him at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, pending his removal.
“Protecting the American public is a key priority for ERO officers,” said ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Cammilla Wamsley, emphasizing the importance of arresting and removing criminal noncitizens who pose a threat.
Pop was deported to Guatemala aboard an ICE-coordinated flight and was handed over to Guatemalan authorities to face charges in his home country.
