Skip to main content
February 6, 2023New York, NY, United StatesEnforcement and Removal

ERO New York City removes Ecuadorian fugitive wanted for criminal conspiracy

Victor Hugo Chimbo-Ilbay

NEW YORK — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New York City removed Victor Hugo Chimbo-Ilbay, a citizen of Ecuador with a final order of removal, to Ecuador on Feb. 2.

Chimbo-Ilbay is wanted by law enforcement authorities in Ecuador for criminal conspiracy. Chimbo was turned over to Ecuadorian law enforcement officials upon arrival in Ecuador.

“Our ERO New York City Fugitive Operations Team once again captured a serious criminal who sought to escape justice from his home country,” said ERO New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo. “This not only serves the cause of Ecuadorian justice but community safety here in New York.”

On an unknown date and location, Chimbo-Ilbay entered the United States without admission or parole by an immigration official. U.S. Border Patrol in El Paso arrested Chimbo-Ilbay and served him with a Notice to Appear, charging inadmissibility pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act on Dec. 11, 2021. On the same date, U.S. Border Patrol transferred Chimbo-Ilbay to ERO El Paso custody.

On Jan. 7, 2022, the Criminal Judicial Unit in Ambato Canton, Ecuador, issued an arrest warrant for Chimbo-Ilbay for criminal conspiracy. On March 8, 2022, an immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review in El Paso issued a custody determination granting Chimbo-Ilbay an immigration bond; ERO El Paso released him from custody on March 16, 2022.

ERO New York City arrested Chimbo-Ilbay and placed him in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on Aug. 11, 2022. On Dec. 13 that year, an immigration judge ordered Chimbo-Ilbay removed from the United States to Ecuador.

In fiscal year (FY) 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories; this group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions. These included 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.

Members of the public can report crimes and/or suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.

ERO, a directorate of ICE, upholds U.S. immigration law at, within, and beyond our borders. ERO operations target public safety threats, such as convicted criminal noncitizens and gang members, who have violated our nation's immigration laws, including those who illegally re-enter the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges. ERO deportation officers assigned to Interpol also assist in targeting foreign fugitives for crimes committed abroad at-large in the U.S. ERO manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process, including identification and arrest, detention, bond management, supervised release, transportation, and removal. Additionally, ERO repatriates noncitizens ordered removed from the U.S. to more than 150 countries worldwide.

Updated: