U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged an immigration detainer against Rebeca Fratila-Ilies, a Romanian national, on April 17 after she was taken into custody in Guilford County, North Carolina for a probation violation. Fratila-Ilies had previously been convicted of two counts of carnal knowledge of a child and statutory rape in Staunton, Virginia, where she was sentenced to ten years but released early by officials.
The case is significant as it highlights ICE's ongoing efforts to remove individuals with serious criminal convictions from the United States. The agency said it acted after being notified by the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office that Fratila-Ilies was in custody.
“ICE lodged an immigration detainer against Fratila-Ilies with Guilford County April 17, asking them not to release this child predator back into the community,” said ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “Fratila-Ilies is a lawful permanent resident, but she’s been convicted of sex crimes against a child, which means she’s amenable to removal. She’s currently in removal proceedings and ICE is standing by to deport her upon a Department of Justice immigration judge’s order.”
According to information provided by authorities, Fratila-Ilies entered the United States as a child and received her green card in 2006 based on her mother’s asylum application. Immigration officials later determined that the asylum claim was fraudulent, invalidating her permanent resident status derived from it. An immigration judge ordered her removed from the country in absentia in 2017; however, she appealed and received relief from removal in 2022—before being convicted for sex offenses.
Fratila-Ilies remains held pending resolution of her probation violation case while federal authorities await further developments regarding her potential deportation.
