Duckworth fires staffer who claimed to be attorney for detained illegal immigrant with criminal history

A staffer for Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., has been fired after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said he misrepresented himself as the attorney of a detained illegal immigrant to facilitate the man’s release.

Last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons told the Illinois Democrat that her staffer, Edward York, claimed he was legally representing Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval.

Sandoval, a 40-year-old illegal immigrant, had a DUI conviction and was previously deported four times to Mexico. 

According to ICE, the staffer made the claim to federal agents after entering an ICE facility in St. Louis, Illinois, on Oct. 29.

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“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 Nov. 12 letter from ICE states.

“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.”

In a letter on Monday, Duckworth addressed Lyons and said that the staffer was fired.

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“Upon reviewing the matter, I can confirm that neither I nor my leadership team was aware of, authorized or directed what your letter describes as the employee’s conduct,” the message read.

Duckworth then confirmed that her office “terminated the employment of said employee, effective November 17, 2025.”

Lyons had given the senator a Monday deadline to provide answers about the staffer’s employment and whether he knowingly lied on government documents.

Fox News’ Michael Tobin, Leo Briceno and Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.