DHS alleges Duckworth staffer posed as lawyer in bid to release illegal alien

The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday that a staffer of Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth allegedly posed as a lawyer to attempt to release an illegal immigrant from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said in a letter to Duckworth on Wednesday that the staffer, Edward York, told federal agents he was the attorney of Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval, who is a 40-year-old illegal immigrant previously deported four times to Mexico and had a DUI conviction, Fox News reported.

According to the letter, York entered an ICE facility in St. Louis, Illinois, on Oct. 29.

"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 reads.

"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 met with Ayuzo at the facility and got him to sign a G-28 form, the letter said. The form allows a lawyer to represent a client on immigration issues, empowering them to receive official correspondence and communicate with government agencies on their behalf.

"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," Lyons wrote. "It appears as if Mr. York may have collaborated with the firm to cover his misrepresentation." 

ICE said it could not verify that York was a lawyer.

The agency had discovered a Facebook post by the Montgomery County Illinois Democrats describing that a staffer had gone to a field office with a packet of documents and a release order with the intention of misrepresenting himself to law enforcement, according to the letter.

Lyons requested Duckworth’s office respond by Nov. 17, demanding answers regarding York’s employment, whether he knowingly lied on government documents, and if he acted with the knowledge of other members of Duckworth’s staff.

"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’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.