Michael Angok had been transported from Villawood Immigration Detention Centre to Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital for medical treatment, before he escaped from the western Sydney hospital on Wednesday morning.
An initial search by NSW Police found some of his personal items thrown onto the road a few hundred metres away.
After Angok had been on the run for more than 24 hours, police called on the public to contact Triple Zero if they had any information on the 30-year-old's whereabouts.
Asked about his previous offences, NSW Detective Superintendent Brett Van Akker on Thursday said he would not comment on Angok's criminal history but confirmed he was "well known" to police, had a criminal conviction and was awaiting deportation.
The escapee was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a gang rape at Doonside park in 2014.
He has already served his sentence for the offence and was being held in custody on Wednesday as an immigration detainee.
Immigrants who have spent time in prison for crimes committed in Australia have become a hot-button political issue since 2023 when the High Court found indefinite detention was unlawful.
The ruling prompted the release of more than 200 immigration detainees, known as the NZYQ cohort.
While some had serious criminal convictions, including murder and rape, others faced less serious charges and all had finished serving their time behind bars before being placed in immigration detention over visa issues.
However, their release sparked a political firestorm which led the federal Labor government to rush through laws subjecting them to ankle monitors and curfews - which the High Court later deemed punitive - and powers that allow deportation of non-citizens and pay other countries to accept them.
The changes were decried by human rights advocates, refugees, independent MPs, and the Greens but passed with support from the coalition.
Angok is described as being of African appearance, about 175cm to 180cm tall, of thin build with short black hair and was last seen wearing a black hoodie, grey tracksuit pants and white crocs.
He used to live in Blacktown and could be using public transport.
Witnesses have been urged not to approach him.
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