Efren Guallpa-Shurshanay/Ecuador/Sexual Assault

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Efren Guallpa-Shurshanay in Danbury, Connecticut. The Ecuador national — here illegally — faces charges of sexual assault.

Law enforcement and prosecutors treat sexual assault cases as high-priority regardless of where the suspect is from, but when the individual is in the country illegally, the arrest initiates a second parallel legal process in federal immigration court. For Guallpa-Shurshanay, this means navigating both a state criminal prosecution — which can carry years in prison and mandatory sex offender registration — and a federal removal proceeding that will determine whether deportation to Ecuador is ordered.

Federal authorities have placed Guallpa-Shurshanay in immigration detention pending the outcome of removal proceedings. A Department of Justice immigration court will determine whether Guallpa-Shurshanay is deported to Ecuador.