Democrat Senator Tammy Duckworth has been one of President Trump's most vocal critics.
She's spent months attacking his immigration policies and calling ICE operations "reckless."
And Tammy Duckworth's staffer just got caught red-handed doing something that could put him behind bars.
DHS drops bombshell accusation against Duckworth's office
The Department of Homeland Security has formally accused a member of Senator Tammy Duckworth's staff of impersonating an attorney to secure the release of a criminal illegal alien from federal custody.
In a blistering letter sent Wednesday to the Illinois Democrat, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons detailed how Edward York, listed as a Constituent Outreach Coordinator in Duckworth's office, allegedly walked into an ICE facility in East St. Louis on October 29 and falsely claimed to be the legal representative of Jose Ismael Ayuzo-Sandoval.
Here's what makes this case particularly outrageous: Ayuzo-Sandoval is a 40-year-old Mexican national who has been deported from the United States four times and has a DUI conviction on his record.
York didn't just lie to federal agents about being an attorney.
According to DHS surveillance footage, he demanded to speak with his "client" and successfully gained access to the detained illegal alien by falsifying an official Department of Homeland Security form.
"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 letter.¹
Once inside the secure facility, York persuaded Ayuzo-Sandoval to sign a G-28 form, which authorizes an attorney or accredited representative to communicate with immigration authorities on a client's behalf.
But here's where the scheme gets even more brazen.
The cover-up attempt that exposed everything
York later secured a release order for the four-time deportee, but then submitted a G-28 form that didn't include Ayuzo-Sandoval's signature — despite having met with him in person and obtaining his signature on the document.
When ICE attempted to verify York's credentials as an attorney, they couldn't find any record of him being licensed to practice law.
That's when investigators discovered the smoking gun that blew up York's entire operation.
Four days after the incident, a law firm called Suarez Law Office in Collinsville, Illinois, filed an electronic G-28 form that also lacked Ayuzo-Sandoval's signature.
"It appears as if Mr. York may have collaborated with the firm to cover his misrepresentation," Lyons wrote.²
But wait — it gets worse.
The Montgomery County Illinois Democrats posted on Facebook about the incident, describing how a staffer had visited an ICE facility "with the intention of misrepresenting himself to law enforcement," arriving with documents and a release order.
They actually bragged about breaking federal law on social media.
Duckworth's anti-ICE crusade comes back to bite her
This scandal couldn't come at a worse time for Duckworth, who has been leading the Democrat charge against President Trump's immigration enforcement efforts.
Just last week, she sent what she called an "urgent letter" to the DHS Inspector General demanding an investigation into federal agents' "use of force" in Chicago.
She's repeatedly attacked Trump's ICE operations as "reckless civil immigration enforcement activities" and accused the administration of "forcing thousands of Federal law enforcement officers to abandon operations targeting dangerous violent criminals."³
Duckworth has also joined lawsuits against the Trump administration over ICE facility oversight and has been one of the loudest voices claiming Trump is "declaring war" on American cities.
But now her own office stands accused of actively working to undermine federal immigration enforcement by helping a four-time deportee with a criminal record escape custody.
ICE Acting Director Lyons didn't mince words about what Duckworth's office allegedly did.
"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," he wrote.⁴
"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."
The federal government has given Duckworth's office until November 17 to provide answers about York's employment status, whether he knowingly falsified government documents, and whether other staff members were aware of his actions.
This isn't just some minor administrative mix-up.
If the allegations are proven, York could face federal charges for impersonating an attorney, falsifying government documents, and interfering with federal immigration enforcement.
The hypocrisy is stunning: while Duckworth publicly attacks Trump's immigration policies, her own staff was allegedly working behind the scenes to help criminal illegal aliens avoid deportation.
¹ Todd Lyons, "Letter to Senator Tammy Duckworth," Department of Homeland Security, November 13, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Tammy Duckworth, "Press Release: Duckworth Demands Trump Administration Stop Forcing Law Enforcement," U.S. Senate, October 2025.
⁴ Todd Lyons, "Letter to Senator Tammy Duckworth," Department of Homeland Security, November 13, 2025.
