A former high-ranking Ecuadorian government official, José Serrano, was deported from the United States to Ecuador in late August following a rapid reversal by U.S. immigration appeals judges. Serrano, who served as interior minister under former president Rafael Correa and later sought asylum in the United States, had previously been blocked from deportation due to concerns he faced a risk of torture if returned to Ecuador.

Serrano is accused by Ecuadorian authorities of orchestrating the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, a claim Serrano denies and attributes to political persecution. After his August 28 deportation, Serrano was placed in a maximum-security prison in Ecuador, where his lawyers report he was subjected to degrading treatment, including being filmed naked under guard supervision. Videos reportedly were shared with Ecuador’s president, Daniel Noboa, an ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Ecuadorian officials have rejected allegations of mistreatment.

The case has drawn attention to changes in the U.S. immigration court system under the Trump administration, which gained increased control over immigration judges and appeals panels. Typically, appeals of complex immigration cases take weeks or months to resolve; however, three Trump-appointed immigration appeals judges overturned a May ruling preventing Serrano’s deportation within 24 hours. The earlier decision, made by an immigration judge appointed during the Biden administration, had found that Serrano was likely to face torture in Ecuador and granted him deferral of removal, a form of protection from deportation. The appeals judges concluded that allegations of torture—including the case of Jorge Glas, a former high-level official imprisoned in Ecuador—did not meet the legal definition required for withholding deportation. They also found no conclusive evidence linking the Ecuadorian government to the deaths of other suspects in the assassination case.

Serrano’s legal team said the expedited deportation process left little opportunity to file federal court challenges. They have since requested a federal appeals court to order his return to the United States. Serrano’s attorneys also reported that a video call from prison was heavily monitored by unidentified masked guards, limiting communication.

President Noboa, who took office in late 2023 and has close ties to Trump’s administration, publicly celebrated Serrano’s deportation on social media, framing it as a political victory. Serrano had been a vocal critic of Noboa and belonged to a political faction opposed to his administration. Noboa has emphasized Serrano’s need to be held accountable under Ecuadorian law.

U.S. officials defended the deportation as a lawful enforcement action. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security stated that immigration enforcement does not serve foreign political interests and targets individuals present illegally, while declining to comment on discussions between Noboa and then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem prior to Serrano’s arrest in Miami last year. Notably, Serrano was detained days after a private meeting between Noboa and Noem in Ecuador.

The Serrano case is part of a broader pattern involving politically sensitive immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, which has reshaped the Board of Immigration Appeals by reducing its size and appointing ideologically aligned judges. Immigration experts have noted the unusually swift handling of Serrano’s appeal compared to typical timelines.

Serrano’s background includes a tenure as interior minister with significant authority over Ecuador’s police and intelligence services. He was previously commended by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials for helping increase drug seizures during his time in office. He entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2021 and soon applied for political asylum, citing ongoing threats due to his crackdown on criminal networks.

The allegations against Serrano and his deportation have further complicated the political landscape in Ecuador, where opponents accuse the government of using criminal charges to suppress dissent. Meanwhile, U.S. immigration authorities have maintained that their actions are grounded in enforcement of immigration laws rather than political considerations.