A 27-year-old Ecuadorian national, who was found guilty of indecent assault and second-degree assault of a Connecticut child, has been arrested.
According to Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston, local authorities had previously declined to honor ERO Boston’s immigration detainer and released the Ecuadoran national without notifying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
“This convicted sex offender presented a significant threat to the children of our Connecticut communities,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “This individual should never have been released back on the streets. Thanks to the hard work of our officers in Hartford, he was removed from the community and no longer poses a threat to our residents. ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety throughout the neighborhoods of New England.”
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U.S. Border Patrol apprehended the Ecuadoran national in May 2015 after he unlawfully entered the United States in Texas without authorization. Border Patrol officials served him with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration judge.
In August 2015, a DOJ immigration judge granted him release from custody with an order of recognizance on a surety bond.
The Ecuadoran citizen was arrested by the Danbury Police Department on March 13, 2020, for the offenses of second-degree assault and assault with risk of injury to child — a sex crime under Connecticut state law.
On March 16, 2020, ERO Boston officers in Hartford lodged an immigration detainer with the Connecticut Department of Corrections seeking his custody.
The Connecticut Superior Court in Danbury convicted the unlawfully present Ecuadoran citizen of second-degree assault and assault with risk of injury to a child on April 13, 2021.
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On Jan. 13, 2022, the court sentenced him to five years in state prison but later reduced the sentence to five years of probation and released him on probation without notifying ICE.
The Danbury Police Department arrested him on May 6, 2023, for the offense of assault in the third-degree and violation of probation.
On May 7, 2023, ICE lodged an immigration detainer seeking custody of the Ecuadoran citizen, the Connecticut Department of Corrections.
The Connecticut Superior Court convicted the Ecuadoran national of third-degree assault and violation of probation on Jan. 25, 2024. It sentenced him to one year in state prison, which was subsequently reduced to three years of probation.
Despite the existence of an active immigration detainer issued by ERO Boston, the Ecuadoran national was released from the Connecticut Department of Corrections. ERO Boston was provided no notification of his release back into the community.
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On April 17, 2024, deportation officers from ERO Boston arrested the Ecuadoran native without incident in Hartford. He will be held in ICE custody pending a future hearing before a DOJ immigration judge.
“Detainers are critical public safety tools because they focus enforcement resources on removable noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity,” said ERO Boston.
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