BALTIMORE — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested an undocumented Guatemalan man last week after the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections declined to honor an immigration detainer, instead releasing him into the facility’s lobby.
Gener Pop-Cuz, 20, was taken into custody on Feb. 1 after resisting arrest in the jail’s lobby, where an ICE deportation officer was waiting. Corrections officers did not intervene during the struggle, according to ICE.
“Nobody wins when jurisdictions fail to transfer custody of violent offenders,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Baltimore acting Field Office Director Matthew Elliston. “Cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE is critical to ensuring the safety of our officers, the public, and even the criminal aliens in custody.”
Pop was first encountered by the U.S. Border Patrol near the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, on Nov. 13, 2017, and was issued a notice to appear before being transferred to ICE custody. He was released two days later on an order of recognizance. A Department of Justice immigration judge ordered his removal to Guatemala on Nov. 16, 2022, after he failed to appear for his immigration hearing.
On Feb. 1, the Laurel Police Department arrested Pop on charges including possession of a loaded handgun, illegal possession of ammunition, and trespassing on private property. He was released on bond by the Prince George’s County Commissioner’s Office the same day, leading ICE to issue a detainer request that the local jail declined to honor.
