Executive Summary
- The Department of Homeland Security has accused a staffer for Sen. Tammy Duckworth of posing as an attorney at an ICE facility.
- The staffer, Edward York, allegedly sought to secure the release of a detained immigrant with a DUI conviction and four prior deportations.
- DHS claims York falsified a government form (G-28) and may have collaborated with a law firm to conceal the misrepresentation.
- ICE has formally requested that Sen. Duckworth’s office respond to the allegations and clarify the staffer’s actions.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has accused a staff member in Senator Tammy Duckworth’s office of misrepresenting himself as an attorney to gain access to a detained immigrant at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. The incident allegedly took place on October 29 in St. Louis, where the staffer sought to facilitate the release of an individual with a prior criminal conviction and multiple deportations.
Allegations from Homeland Security
In a letter to Senator Duckworth (D-Ill.), ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons stated that Edward York, a Constituent Outreach Coordinator for the senator, entered the facility and claimed to be the attorney for Jose Ismael Ayuzo Sandoval. Sandoval, 40, is a previously deported immigrant from Mexico with a DUI conviction. According to the letter, York met with Sandoval and had him sign a G-28 form, which designates legal representation in immigration matters.
DHS alleges that the staffer falsified the official form to gain access to the detainee. The letter further claims that four days later, a law office filed a G-28 form electronically on Sandoval’s behalf that was missing the required signature, despite York having already obtained a signed version in person. ICE officials suggested this may have been an attempt to conceal the initial misrepresentation.
Request for Investigation
The agency’s suspicion was reportedly heightened by a Facebook post from the Montgomery County Illinois Democrats’ page, which seemed to describe a staffer planning to misrepresent himself to law enforcement. Director Lyons’ letter requested a formal response from Duckworth’s office by November 17, seeking clarification on York’s employment status and whether he acted with the knowledge of other staff members. “I implore all members of the US 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. Senator Duckworth’s office has not yet issued a public comment on the matter. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
