U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested a Colombian national, Ludwin Quintero-Rojas, who is wanted in Colombia for aggravated theft and attempted theft with injury. Quintero-Rojas, 31, was apprehended by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Newark on May 9. He is currently detained without bond at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility.
John Tsoukaris, Field Office Director of ERO Newark, stated, “This criminal alien — who is wanted for theft offenses in his home country — tried to hide in United States, specifically in our region, where he was arrested multiple times for similar crimes.” Tsoukaris emphasized that Quintero’s history indicates a “repetitive pattern of disregard for U.S. laws.”
Quintero-Rojas first encountered U.S. law enforcement on September 18, 2023, when the U.S. Border Patrol arrested him in El Paso, Texas. He was issued a notice to appear but was released on recognizance.
Subsequent arrests include an incident by the New York City Police Department for petit larceny on January 13, 2024. The Queens County Criminal Court convicted him of disorderly conduct on July 5, 2024.
In New Jersey this year alone, Quintero faced several shoplifting charges: Lacey Township Police Department arrested him on April 16; Howell Township Police Department followed suit on April 17; Marlboro Township Police Department apprehended him on April 18 and subsequently convicted him of shoplifting on May 1 with a sentence of ten days of community service; Brick Township Police Department also charged him with shoplifting on May 2.
Quintero-Rojas is set to appear before the Executive Office for Immigration Review in Elizabeth on May 22.
