The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused a Senate staffer in Democratic Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s office of impersonating an attorney in an effort to spring a repeatedly deported illegal immigrant from federal custody.
DHS officials say the aide inserted himself into an active immigration case involving Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval, a 40-year-old Mexican national who has been removed from the United States four times and has a prior DUI conviction, according to a letter that Fox News obtained Wednesday. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons detailed the incident in a letter to Duckworth, saying that the staffer’s behavior crossed a line that endangered officers and undermined federal procedures.
“At approximately 1:29 p.m., an individual identified as Edward York, who according to publicly available information, is employed as a Constituent Outreach Coordinator for your Senate office, entered the field office lobby, and in a discussion with a federal officer, claimed to be Mr. Ayuzo’s attorney. Mr. York demanded to speak with his ‘client,’” the letter states.
Lyons told Duckworth that the staffer used that false claim to gain access to the detainee and push for his release.
“This staff member allegedly did so to gain access to the detainee and seek his release from custody, and he accomplished it by falsifying an official Department of Homeland Security form,” the letter says.
Once inside the building, York persuaded Ayuzo to sign a G-28 form, the official document that authorizes an attorney to act on a client’s behalf in immigration matters. The form allows the representative to receive federal notices, file documents and communicate directly with government agencies. Despite obtaining a legitimate signature during the meeting, York later attempted to turn in a version of the G-28 that lacked Sandoval’s signature, according to Lyons.
Four days later, another form surfaced.
“Four days later, a Suarez Law Office in Collinsville, Illinois filed a G-28 electronically that did not have Mr. Ayuzo’s signature, even though Mr. York, who claimed to work for the law firm, had already obtained a signed form,” the letter added.
ICE could not confirm that York is an attorney. The agency’s concerns deepened when they discovered a Facebook post from the Montgomery County Illinois Democrats’ page boasting about a staffer who had gone to an ICE field office with documents and a release order and appeared to celebrate misleading federal officers.
Lyons’ letter demands answers from Duckworth’s office by Nov. 17 — including whether York lied intentionally, whether other staff members were aware of his actions, and whether he misused his government position during the incident. The acting director issued a pointed warning to Senate offices engaging in political stunts that interfere with federal enforcement.
“I implore all members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, as well as their staff, to stop the political games that put law enforcement and detainees at risk,” Lyons wrote, Fox News reported. “It is my sincere hope that you will advocate on behalf of your constituents who have been victimized by illegal alien crime and work with DHS to remove these criminals from the United States.
Attacks on ICE agents surged 1,000% year-over-year, the DHS said in an August release. In Chicago, multiple individuals rammed ICE vehicles with their cars during enforcement operations, and Chicago police allegedly stood down instead of assisting agents who were under assault during an Oct. 4 incident.
In July, a suspect opened fire on ICE agents with a pistol during a raid on a California marijuana farm after agents secured a warrant. DHS also said in a Sept. 26 post on X that attackers had targeted an ICE facility in Broadview, Ill, multiple times, and other facilities across the country have faced similar violence.
Duckworth’s office and ICE did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
(Featured Image Media Credit: U.S. Immigrations And Customs Enforcement/Creative Commons/Flickr)
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