Staffer for Dem Senator allegedly caught on video posing as illegal migrant's lawyer

Watch Staffer for Dem Senator allegedly caught on video posing as illegal migrant's lawyer - New York Post on Dailymotion

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00:00A staffer from Senator Tammy Duckworth's office in Illinois is in hot water after the Department

00:05of Homeland Security alleged he posed as an attorney to release an illegal immigrant in ICE

00:09custody. Video posted by DHS on X allegedly shows the staffer, identified in a letter sent to

00:15Duckworth's office as Edward York, at an ICE facility in St. Louis on October 29. York reportedly

00:20works as a constituent outreach coordinator for Duckworth's office. According to the acting ICE

00:25director Todd Lyons, York entered the facility with aims to release Jose Ismael Ayuso Sandoval,

00:32a 40-year-old illegal immigrant who DHS claims has a DUI conviction and has been deported to Mexico

00:38four times. DHS told Newsweek that Sandoval was arrested in Staunton, Illinois, on October 29,

00:442025 and had been issued a final order of removal in 2003. In a letter sent to Duckworth, Lyons went

00:50on to write that York claimed to be Mr. Ayuso's attorney and then demanded to speak with his

00:55client. York then allegedly met with Sandoval and was even able to get the illegal immigrant

00:59to sign a G-28 form, which gave him permission to represent Sandoval and correspond with government

01:05agencies on his behalf. After receiving Sandoval's release order, DHS says that the alleged scheme

01:10started to unravel when, four days later, a law office in Collinsville, Illinois, also filed a G-28

01:17form for Sandoval without the immigrant's signature. Lyons now alleges that York may have been

01:22collaborating with the firm to cover his misrepresentation. According to Fox News,

01:26ICE was not able to verify if the staffer was an attorney. The letter to Duckworth's office also

01:31pointed to a post on the Montgomery County, Illinois Democrats' Facebook page, which recounted the events,

01:37alleging that a member from Duckworth's staff went to the ICE field office with a packet of documents,

01:42including a release form. DHS also said the post stated that Illinois Governor Kritzker's office was

01:47also heavily involved in the case. Duckworth has until November 17th to respond to Lyons' letter

01:53regarding York's alleged activities. Like many other Democrats in Congress, Duckworth has been an

01:58outspoken opponent to the Trump administration's heavy-handed immigration enforcement strategy.

02:03In early October, Duckworth and fellow Illinois Senator Dick Durbin said they were blocked by federal

02:08officials from entering an immigration facility outside Chicago, where National Guard troops had

02:13recently gathered. The pair accused the Trump administration of stonewalling congressional

02:17oversight and warned of an unconstitutional push to normalize troops on our streets.

02:23It is appalling that two United States senators are not allowed to visit this facility.

02:28What are you afraid of? Is what I want to ask, Christina. What are you afraid of? If you don't hide,

02:34you don't run away when you're proud of what you're doing.