An illegal immigrant from Ecuador, previously convicted of child molestation, has been taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Hartford, Connecticut.

The individual, whose identity was not disclosed by authorities, had entered the country illegally in 2015 and was released by an immigration judge shortly after.

Following his arrest on child sex assault charges in March 2020, ICE lodged an immigration detainer, but the migrant’s subsequent conviction in April 2021 and sentencing to five years in prison did not result in notification to immigration officials.

Instead, the sentence was reduced to five years of probation, and the individual was released without ICE’s knowledge.

Despite being arrested again in May 2023 on assault and probation violation charges, Connecticut officials reportedly ignored an ICE detainer, allowing the illegal immigrant to evade federal custody once more. However, ICE agents from the Boston Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office located and apprehended him in Hartford last week.

Todd Lyons, director of the Boston ERO office, emphasized the threat posed by the convicted sex offender and expressed gratitude for the efforts of officers in Hartford in ensuring the individual’s removal from the community.