Overview
- In a letter dated Nov. 17, Sen. Tammy Duckworth told acting ICE Director Todd Lyons she did not authorize the conduct and that the employee was terminated effective that day.
- The staffer has been identified in reporting as Edward York, who allegedly claimed to represent 40-year-old Jose Ismael Ayuzo Sandoval at ICE’s St. Louis field office after Ayuzo’s Oct. 29 arrest in Staunton, Illinois.
- DHS publicly outlined the allegation on Nov. 12, asserting the staffer sought the detainee’s release by misrepresenting himself as an attorney.
- Lyons’ letter describes York obtaining Ayuzo’s signature on a G-28 authorizing legal representation, and notes a later electronic G-28 filing by an Illinois law firm that did not include the detainee’s signature.
- ICE has not indicated whether criminal charges will be pursued, and officials have not detailed next steps in the review.