Tammy Duckworth Staffer Accused of Pretending to be a LAWYER to Help Illegal Immigrant Escape from ICE Custody

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DHS Accuses Illinois Senator's Staffer of Impersonating Attorney in Bid to Free Repeat Deportee from ICE Custody

Washington, D.C. – November 13, 2025  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has accused a staff member in the office of Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois of posing as a licensed attorney to secure the release of a convicted illegal immigrant from federal custody. The incident, detailed in a sharply worded letter from ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, raises serious questions about congressional interference in immigration enforcement and the unauthorized practice of law.

The controversy centers on Edward York, identified by DHS as a staffer in Duckworth's office, who allegedly entered an ICE field office in East St. Louis, Illinois, on October 29 under false pretenses. According to Lyons' letter, sent to the senator on Wednesday, York misrepresented himself as the legal counsel for Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval, a 40-year-old Mexican national with a lengthy record of immigration violations. Ayuzo Sandoval has been deported to Mexico on four separate occasions and was recently detained by ICE following a DUI conviction in St. Louis, Illinois.

"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," Lyons wrote in the missive, which was obtained by multiple news outlets. Surveillance footage from the facility, released by ICE, purportedly shows York in the lobby, demanding to meet his "client" and presenting forged documentation to gain entry.

Once inside, York reportedly met with Ayuzo Sandoval and persuaded him to sign a G-28 form—a critical immigration document that authorizes an attorney to represent a client in dealings with federal agencies, including receiving official correspondence and advocating for release. Armed with the signed form, York allegedly attempted to expedite Ayuzo Sandoval's discharge, even submitting an unsigned version of the document through a local law firm days later in what Lyons described as a potential cover-up.

The plot thickened when ICE investigators uncovered a now-deleted Facebook post from the Montgomery County, Illinois Democrats' page, which appeared to celebrate the staffer's actions. The post described a congressional aide arriving at the ICE office "with a packet of documents and an order of release," implying a deliberate effort to mislead federal officers. "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," Lyons urged in his letter, imploring lawmakers to cease "political games that put law enforcement and detainees at risk."

DHS officials emphasized that ICE could not verify York's credentials as a practicing attorney, and the agency suspects he may have collaborated with the Suarez Law Office in Collinsville, Illinois, to obscure his impersonation. The firm filed an electronic G-28 form on behalf of Ayuzo Sandoval four days after York's visit, but without the detainee's signature—despite York having already obtained one in person.

Sen. Duckworth's office has remained tight-lipped, failing to respond to repeated requests for comment from reporters. The senator, a decorated Iraq War veteran and vocal advocate for immigration reform, recently penned an "urgent letter" to the DHS Inspector General criticizing federal agents' "use of force" during arrests in Chicago—a move that has drawn scrutiny amid reports of declining crime rates in the city following intensified ICE operations.

Lyons has demanded a full accounting from Duckworth's team by November 17, including details on York's employment status, whether he knowingly falsified government documents, and if other staffers were complicit. Legal experts warn that the episode could expose York to federal charges for impersonating an officer, fraud, and obstruction of justice, while fueling broader debates over congressional overreach in sanctuary state disputes.

As the 2026 midterms loom, this scandal threatens to become a flashpoint in the national immigration conversation, with critics on the right decrying it as emblematic of lax border policies and Democrats bracing for fallout from what one anonymous Hill source called "a well-intentioned but wildly misguided intervention." ICE, meanwhile, vows to pursue the matter vigorously, underscoring its commitment to "upholding the rule of law amid political pressures."

Stay tuned for updates as Duckworth's office responds and federal investigators dig deeper into this unfolding breach of protocol. 17GEN4.com