Green Card Holder Faces Deportation After Sex Crime Conviction
If you or someone you know is in removal proceedings, lawyers strongly recommend acting immediately — do not wait for a court date to find legal help. You can search for free or low-cost immigration lawyers through nonprofit organizations in your area. Missing a court hearing can result in an in absentia removal order, which is very difficult to reverse.
What Happened
ICE lodged an immigration detainer — a formal request asking a jail or prison not to release someone until ICE can take custody — against Rebeca Fratila-Ilies, a Romanian national living in North Carolina, on April 17, 2026. She holds a green card (lawful permanent resident status), but she is now in removal proceedings, meaning the government is trying to deport her.
Fratila-Ilies was convicted of two counts of carnal knowledge of a child and statutory rape and was sentenced to 10 years in Staunton, Virginia. She was released from prison early. On March 12, 2025, police in North Carolina arrested her for a probation violation. The Guilford County Sheriff's Office then notified ICE's Charlotte office that she was in custody. ICE Director Todd M. Lyons said the agency is ready to deport her once an immigration judge issues an order.
Deportation Defense Checklist — Free
Immigrant rights, appeals and protective measures
Her immigration history is complicated. She came to the United States as a child and received a green card in 2006. Immigration officials later found that her mother had filed a fraudulent asylum case. Because her green card was based on her mother's case, officials determined her status was invalid. An immigration judge ordered her removed in absentia (meaning she was not present at the hearing) in 2017. She appealed, and in 2022 a judge granted her relief from removal — protection that was given before her criminal convictions. Her sex offense convictions have now made her deportable again under immigration law.
What to Do If You Are in Removal Proceedings
- Contact an immigration lawyer as soon as possible. Removal proceedings move quickly. A lawyer can review your case and explain your options before a judge makes a final decision.
- Do not miss your immigration court hearing. If you miss your hearing, a judge may order your removal in absentia — meaning you can be deported without being in the room.
- Gather documents about your history in the US. Things like tax records, school records, and proof of family ties may be relevant to your case.
- If ICE places a detainer on you, ask the jail or your lawyer about your right to a bond hearing. A bond hearing (also called an immigration bond hearing) may allow you to be released while your case continues in court.