Marco Quizhpi Granda/Ecuador/Criminal Sexual Conduct

On April 25, 2025, ICE officials announced the arrest of Marco Quizhpi Granda, an unlawfully present Ecuadorian national with a prior conviction for criminal sexual conduct involving a child. Quizhpi Granda, who had been living in the United States without legal status, was arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers in a targeted operation coordinated through the Newark Field Office. His arrest follows his release from a New Jersey correctional facility, where he had completed his sentence for sexually abusing a minor.

Quizhpi Granda was convicted in 2021 of criminal sexual contact in the third degree after he was found to have engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor under the age of 13. Court documents revealed that the victim, a child known to Quizhpi Granda, reported the abuse to authorities, which led to his arrest and prosecution. He was sentenced to serve over two years in state custody. During his incarceration, ICE placed a detainer requesting notification upon his release, which was honored by state authorities.

After his release, ICE took him into custody without incident and transferred him to a detention center pending removal proceedings. He had previously been issued a final order of removal in absentia in 2019 after failing to appear for immigration court. That order has now been reinstated.

Quizhpi Granda remains in federal custody and awaits deportation to Ecuador.