Federal immigration agents arrested an Ecuadorian national in Connecticut days after officials said he had been released from local custody despite serious charges involving a minor.
According to Fox News, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers took Christian Espinosa-Sarango into custody Feb. 13 in North Haven, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Authorities said the arrest came after a prior detainer request was not honored under state sanctuary policies.
Espinosa-Sarango had been charged Dec. 19, 2025, with sexual assault, illegal sexual contact with a child, and enticing minors with a computer, DHS said.
The case stemmed from an online exchange with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as the aunt of a 13-year-old girl, the New Haven Independent reported, citing court records.
After learning the girl’s age, he allegedly requested photos and sexual contact and arranged to meet at a hotel, where he was arrested.
Officials said he attempted to flee in his vehicle and refused to roll down his window, prompting officers to break the glass.
During a police interview, Espinosa-Sarango allegedly claimed he intended to “save” the girl and said he did not contact police because he wanted to see her first, according to the report.
ICE filed a detainer request with local authorities on Dec. 23, but the request was not honored and he was released back into the community, DHS said.
The agency pointed to Connecticut’s Trust Act, which limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials, as the reason the detainer was ignored.
“These are the types of monsters Connecticut sanctuary politicians are releasing from their jails and onto the streets to perpetuate more crimes against children,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
She added that cooperation between local agencies and federal immigration authorities is essential to public safety.
“We need local law enforcement to cooperate with us to get these heinous criminals out of our neighborhoods,” McLaughlin said. “Seven of the 10 safest cities in the United States cooperate with ICE. This is a perfect example of why sanctuary policies make Americans less safe.”
“Thankfully, because of our brave ICE agents, Christian Espinosa-Sarango, a pedophile, will never walk American streets again,” she added. “Sanctuary politicians must stop releasing pedophiles, murderers, rapists, and kidnappers into our neighborhoods.”
The Trump administration previously identified Connecticut as a state with policies that impede federal immigration enforcement.
