Illegal immigrant charged with murder of Maryland mom days after Van Hollen’s return from El Salvador

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) charged an illegal immigrant with the murder of a mother in Maryland on Wednesday, just five days after Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., returned to the state from his high-profile El Salvador visit to try to retrieve a deported alleged MS-13 member.

ICE arrested Keycy Robinson Alexis Barrera-Rosa, a 23-year-old Guatemalan national on April 5 in Charles County. He was later charged on April 23 after the body of Lesbia Mileth Ramirez Guerra from LaPlata was discovered buried near a state forest.

ICE said Barrera-Rosa would be “fully prosecuted” for the alleged murder, according to ICE.

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When asked by Fox News Digital about prominent Maryland illegal immigrant violent crimes as of late, Van Hollen responded after press time Wednesday, saying that “with federal and state leaders working together, we’ve made strategic investments in public safety that have helped reduce violent crime across Maryland for three years in a row.”

“But more needs to be done – because no family should have to endure the pain of being ripped apart by violence. We will continue working to fight crime in all its forms and build a stronger, safer Maryland,” he said.

Regarding Guerra’s murder, he said he “cannot imagine the grief and pain that the family of Ms. Guerra is feeling right now.”

“I thank all of those in law enforcement who have been part of the extensive search effort and investigation,” he added.

He added that it is important to respect the rule of law and that courts are meant to provide due process rights for all.

“Now, Ms. Guerra’s family and friends, and our community, will see her suspected killer and anyone involved in this crime face justice in a court of law.”

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Meanwhile, Van Hollen and the several House Democrats who followed his lead in traveling to Central America to aid Garcia have become the focal point of the GOP’s derision in recent days. For instance, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) launched a fake tourism ad saying Democrats “should feel free to make their trip to hang out with MS-13 gangbangers one-way.”

The ad came after serious crimes at the hands of illegal immigrants cropped up around the Old Line State.

Most recently, Victor Martinez-Hernandez was found guilty of killing Rachel Morin on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air.

Morin’s mother, Patty, was later invited to speak from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, where she lambasted Van Hollen for traveling to El Salvador to help Garcia.

On Sunday, Van Hollen told “Fox News Sunday” that what happened to the Morin family “was awful and unacceptable.”

Last week, a jury took less than an hour to convict another Maryland illegal immigrant murder suspect – Victor Martinez-Hernandez – on first-degree premeditated murder charges in Harford County.

Also last week, ICE arrested Guatemalan national Rene Pop-Chub in Hyattsville, Maryland, outside Washington. Pop-Chub had pending murder, assault and reckless endangerment charges, and was the subject of an ignored detainer by a county corrections office, according to an ICE statement.

“The arrest of Rene Pop-Chub underscores the critical importance of cooperation between federal and local counterparts,” ICE Baltimore Acting Field Office Director Nikita Baker said in a statement.

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In a 2024 case in Montgomery Village, a northern suburb of Washington, ICE detained an “unlawfully present” Honduran national and previous deportee named Madai Gamaliel Amaya. 

Amaya’s arrest marked what ICE said was a record of 153 arrests of noncitizen sex offenders in Maryland in FY-2024. An ICE official called the case a “landmark arrest” for the Baltimore field office, and said in a statement that Amaya was previously arrested in the same county in 2009 and charged with second-degree rape. He was deported in 2013 and 2018, albeit from other states.

Despite the high-profile cases in Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore told Fox News Digital the state has seen “significant drops” in violent crimes.

“Our law enforcement officials work hard every day, in coordination with federal partners, to root out violent crime in our state. This is exactly what happened in this case, and what we do every day to keep Marylanders safe – hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes, regardless of immigration status,” Moore added, referring to the Guerra case.

Fox News Digital reached out to Van Hollen, DHS and ICE for comment but did not immediately hear back.