Murder supect released by maryland jail picked up by ice to face justice

BALTIMORE, MD — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a Guatemalan national on April 12 after a Maryland county jail released him despite a federal immigration detainer, ICE officials announced Monday.

Rene Pop-Chub, 32, was taken into custody by ICE officers in Hyattsville, Maryland, four days after the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections declined to honor a detainer request. Pop faces pending charges including murder, first- and second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment stemming from a 2024 arrest by Prince George’s County Police.

“The arrest of Rene Pop-Chub underscores the critical importance of cooperation between federal and local counterparts,” said ICE Baltimore Acting Field Office Director Nikita Baker. “When jurisdictions refuse to honor our immigration detainers, they put their own communities at risk.”

According to ICE, Pop is a repeat immigration violator who was first apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol on June 13, 2013, in Falfurrias, Texas, and deported to Guatemala that September. He was again arrested after unlawfully reentering the U.S. in Arizona in 2017 and was deported a second time on December 28 of that year.

Authorities say Pop reentered the country a third time at an unknown location. He was arrested by local police on August 19, 2024, on assault charges. ICE lodged a detainer with the Prince George’s County jail on October 9, 2024. On October 31, the local district court transferred his case to the circuit court on multiple charges, including murder.

Despite the active detainer, Pop was released by the jail on April 8, 2025. ICE tracked and arrested him in Hyattsville four days later. He has since been transferred to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Key Points

Rene Pop-Chub, a Guatemalan national charged with murder, was released from Maryland custody despite an ICE detainer.
ICE previously deported Pop twice, in 2013 and 2017; he reentered the U.S. illegally for a third time.
ICE arrested him April 12 in Hyattsville; he is now in U.S. Marshals Service custody.

Phil Stilton Latest posts

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.