José Serrano

José Serrano Salgado (born 19 November 1970) is an Ecuadorian politician. He was President of the National Assembly between 14 May 2017 and 9 March 2018. He was Minister of the Interior from 13 May 2012 to 15 November 2016. He previously held other cabinet posts.

Personal life José Serrano was born 19 November 1970 in Cuenca, Ecuador. is a prominent political figure and human rights advocate. Raised in a family of lawyers, he is the seventh generation in his family to follow the legal profession, instilling in him a deep sense of justice, security, and human rights. José Serrano served as President of the National Congress of Ecuador from May 2017 until March 2018. His removal from office did not follow any lawful procedure, but was instead the product of a political maneuver executed without constitutional authority, intended to obstruct his efforts to uncover corruption and crimes committed by political parties. Later, Serrano brought to light the involvement of the Albanian mafia and its connections to former President Guillermo Lasso.

During his tenure as Minister of the Interior (2012–2016) the homicide rate in Ecuador fell significantly, from 17.57 cases in 2010 to 6.41 cases in 2015 and closed 2016 with 5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

In 2024, Serrano sought to expand his impact on Ecuador’s future by running for president, organized crime and its links to corruption, and has become a consistent voice on security and governance issues in Ecuador.

Education Serrano has a master's degree in Social Intervention in Knowledge Societies from the University of La Rioja, and he has a post-graduate degree in Project Management from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. José Serrano has doctorate in Jurisprudence and lawyership in Justice Tribunals of the Republic of Ecuador by the University of Azuay.

Following this, he was made Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Religious Affairs, serving between April 2010 and May 2011. On 13 May 2011, Serrano was designated Minister of the Interior by President Correa. During his tenure there has been a crackdown on organised crime, which has shaken the nation's illegal drugs sector. He is also known for his reformation to the police institution reached the greatest internal purification of all time, devolving the militarized command to a social one based on human rights, providing a dignified life for all the members of the institution. In June 2016, the United States Department of Justice, through the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), honored Ecuador’s Minister of the Interior José Serrano Salgado in Washington for his leadership in counter-narcotics efforts. Under Serrano’s leadership, security forces also captured major gang leaders, including José Adolfo “Fito” Macías (later extradited to the United States), Jorge Luis “Rasquiña” Zambrano of Los Choneros, and leaders of Los Lobos. During this period, Ecuador’s homicide rate fell from 20 to 5.5 per 100,000 inhabitants.

In November 2013 Serrano temporary took control as Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Religious Affairs after Minister Lenin Lara resigned.

On 15 November 2016 Serrano resigned as Minister of the Interior, to become the lead candidate of the PAIS Alliance in the 2017 Ecuadorian general election. He was succeeded by Diego Fuentes. In February 2014 he won the elections as the most voted National Assembly member. On 14 May 2017 he was elected President of the National Assembly. His removal from office did not follow any lawful procedure, but was instead the product of a political maneuver executed without constitutional authority, intended to obstruct his efforts to uncover corruption and crimes committed by political parties. Later, Serrano brought to light the involvement of the Albanian mafia and its connections to former President Guillermo Lasso. A month later, he withdrew his candidacy, stating that he had received threats from criminal groups he confronted during his tenure as Minister of the Interior, including warnings of plans to attack him with high-caliber weapons and grenades. Serrano also accused the National Electoral Council (CNE) of denying his request to change the location of his candidacy under orders from the president, and criticized the government for complicity in Ecuador’s security crisis and for allowing organized crime to infiltrate state institutions.

Serrano applied for asylum in the United States in 2021, citing death threats from organized crime groups he had fought against during his tenure as Ecuador's Interior Minister. On 7 August 2025, he was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) outside his home in Miami and held at the Krome Detention Center.

In September 2025, Ecuador's Attorney General's Office initiated a vinculación al proceso (a procedural act that opens a formal investigation) against Serrano, former legislator Ronny Aleaga, and businessman Xavier Jordán in relation to the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The hearing in Ecuador was convened just one hour after Serrano's scheduled immigration hearing in Miami had been suspended.

On 3 September 2025, Judge María Daniela Ayala denied the Prosecutor's request to place Serrano in preventive detention, citing lack of legal grounds, and instead imposed alternative measures, including periodic reporting to Ecuador's consulate. On 10 September, Ayala rejected the Prosecutor's appeal as inadmissible because it had been filed after the deadline. These measures drew criticism from observers, and international organizations including the United Nations, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch expressed concern about political pressures on Ecuador's judiciary.

Decorations The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) today honored Ecuador's Interior Minister, José Serrano Salgado, in recognition of the results of the counternarcotics fight in the South American country. By mid-2016, the National Police had carried out more than 4,800 operations, seizing over 47 metric tons of drugs and dismantling 29 criminal organizations.

On 27 April 2015, the Embassy of Chile in Ecuador awarded Interior Minister José Serrano the Orden Bernardo O’Higgins for his support of police cooperation between Ecuador and Chile since 2012. The Chilean ambassador, Gabriel Ascencio Mansilla, praised Serrano’s role in combating drug trafficking and violence against women, noting that during his tenure Ecuador had achieved record drug seizures and a decline in homicide rates. The ceremony was attended by senior officers of the National Police and government authorities. The distinction was presented in Bogotá as part of a ceremony recognizing international cooperation in security and the fight against organized crime. The award recognized his support in developing training exchanges, technical cooperation, and community policing strategies between Castellón and Ecuador. Spaniard authorities emphasized Serrano’s efforts in promoting international partnerships aimed at improving citizen security and crime prevention.