(CHICAGO) — The Department of Homeland Security says a member of Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s (D-IL) office misrepresented himself as the attorney of a detained illegal immigrant to facilitate their release. Fox News was the first to report the story.
According to a letter sent Wednesday to the Democrat, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said the staffer told federal agents he was the attorney of Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval, a 40-year-old illegal immigrant previously deported four times to Mexico and who had a DUI conviction.
The letter says the staffer entered a Downstate ICE facility on October 29 and demanded to speak with his “client.”
The letter also say the staffer falsified “an official Department of Homeland Security form.”
DHS wants a response from Duckworth’s office no later than November 17, with answers about York’s employment, whether he knowingly lied on government documents, and whether he acted with the knowledge of other members of Duckworth’s staff.
Fox News contributed to this story.
