A staffer for liberal Wisconsin Senator Tammy Duckworth was allegedly caught on video pretending to be an attorney for an illegal immigrant to get out of ICE custody.
Duckworth’s outreach coordinator Edward York told federal officers he was an attorney for Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval, according to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
Sandoval, 40, had previously been deported to Mexico four times and was taken in by ICE following a DUI conviction in St. Louis, Illinois.
Lyons said in a letter to Duckworth that on October 29, York showed up to the field office lobby and said he was Sandoval’s lawyer and demanded he be able to speak to his ‘client.’
‘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 (DHS) form.’
York was not only granted a meeting with Sandoval but got him to sign a form that allows York to represent him and speak to the government on his behalf.
He was able to get a release order but was caught when a separate law firm tried to submit the form without Sandoval’s signature.
‘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 said.
Edward York, a staffer for liberal Wisconsin Senator Tammy Duckworth was allegedly caught on video pretending to be an attorney for an illegal immigrant to get out of ICE custody
Duckworth’s outreach coordinator Edward York told federal officers he was an attorney for Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval (pictured), according to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons
Duckworth, 57, was re-elected to the Senate for a second term in 2022
Lyons believes that York tried to get the law firm to go along with his attempt to represent Sandoval and have no verification that he has a license to practice law anywhere.
ICE was tipped off when a now-private Facebook page described a staffer having gone to ICE to misrepresent himself.
‘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.
‘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.’
Duckworth has been given until November 17 to respond to Lyons’ letter regarding whether York is still employed by the senator and if he lied to federal agents.
The Daily Mail has reached out to a spokesperson for Senator Duckworth for comment.
Duckworth, 57, was re-elected to the Senate for a second term in 2022.
