ICE arrests illegal migrant accused of murdering Maryland mother

Immigration authorities arrested a Guatemalan national in Maryland for the murder of his girlfriend, marking the latest arrest of an illegal migrant accused of killing a mother in the state.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Keycy Robinson Alexis Barrera-Rosa, a 23-year-old Guatemalan man living unlawfully in the United States, in La Plata, Maryland, earlier on April 5, according to information obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Barrera-Rosa is charged with murdering his girlfriend, Lesbia Mileth Ramirez-Guerra.

His uncle, Rolvin Eduardo Barrera-Barrera, has been charged by local law enforcement with accessory after the fact of murder. DHS confirmed that Barrera-Barrera is also living in the U.S. unlawfully, having crossed into the country illegally alongside his nephew in April 2019.

“The arrest of these two individuals marks a significant step towards justice,” ICE Baltimore acting Field Office Director Vernon Liggins said in a prepared statement.”This heinous crime not only devastated a community but also reinforced the urgent need to prioritize public safety by identifying, arresting, and removing egregious illegal aliens who threaten our neighborhoods.”

“ICE will continue to work tirelessly, side by side with our law enforcement partners, to safeguard our communities and uphold the rule of law,” Liggins continued.

Border Patrol agents first apprehended Barrera-Rosa and his uncle on April 10, 2019, near El Paso, Texas, and they were served with a notice to appear before an immigration judge, according to DHS. They were ultimately released from federal custody, with restrictions owing to the Flores settlement at the time, making it incredibly more difficult to hold illegal migrants in custody.

Berrera-Rosa reported his girlfriend missing to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) on March 31, according to DHS. However, investigators quickly set their sights on the Guatemalan national, with the sheriff’s office charging him with first-degree murder on April 18.

Acting upon leads, interviews, and other evidence, detectives assigned to CCSO and the Prince George’s County Police Department discovered a body in a wooded area just outside the Cedarville State Forest in Prince George’s County, Maryland, believed to be Ramirez-Guerra, according to a press release by the CCSO. Local authorities say she disappeared from her Waldorf, Maryland, home on March 31 and was reported missing on April 2.

“While this was not the ending that we all hoped for, I am grateful to all those who worked so hard to find Ms. Guerra. On behalf of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, I offer our most sincere condolences to all of her family and friends,” Sheriff Troy D. Berry stated.

Barrera-Rosa is currently being held in ICE custody at the Farmville Detention Center in Virginia, where he awaits extradition to Charles County, Maryland, according to DHS.

At the time of her death, Ramirez-Guerra was the mother to two young children, according to local reports.

The arrest marks less than a year since another illegal migrant, Salvadoran national Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, was arrested for the murder of Rachel Morin, the mother of five, who was killed while hiking on a local Maryland trail. Martinez-Hernandez was found guilty of Morin’s murder on April 15, putting to rest a case that had captivated a national audience and put the issue of illegal immigration to the forefront of the presidential election.

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