U.S. Senator Fires Staffer Accused Of Impersonating Immigration Attorney To ICE

A staffer for U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth has been fired after impersonating an attorney at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in the St. Louis area, according to authorities.

The incident reportedly occurred Oct. 29, when Edward York, a constituent outreach coordinator for Duckworth’s office, entered the lobby of the St. Louis ICE field office and told a federal officer he was the attorney of Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval, who had been arrested that day, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said in a Nov. 12 letter to Duckworth, published in full by Capitol News Illinois.

York requested a G-28 form and asked that Ayuzo sign it so York could represent him, which Ayuzo did, according to the letter, which said York then asked to see Ayuzo and was referred to the Ste. Genevieve County Jail in Missouri.

York then asked an officer for details about Ayuzo’s case and was told Ayuzo was a four-time deportee with a conviction for driving under the influence, the letter said.

ICE could not verify York’s status as an attorney and a Facebook post on the Montgomery County Illinois Democrats page referenced a member of Duckworth’s staff going to the field office with plans not to disclose his position as one of her staff members, according to the letter, which included an image of the post.

Duckworth responded to Lyons in a letter on Monday, which was posted on X by Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin.

“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,” she wrote. “My office has terminated the employment of said employee, effective November 17, 2025.”

York’s attorney, Thomas Q. Keefe III, declined to comment to Capitol News Illinois, but Duckworth’s office on Tuesday released a statement to the outlet.

“The employee in question is no longer employed by the Senator’s office. Beyond that, we are not going to discuss personnel matters,” a spokesperson told Capitol News Illinois in an email.

“But since ICE suddenly seems to care about accountability, the American people deserve to know if anyone there will be held accountable for lying to federal courts, illegally detaining Americans, or any of the countless other constitutional rights Trump’s ICE agents have been caught on video violating.”

Ayuzo, who was detained near his daughter’s school and owns a restaurant in Staunton called Caldera Bar and Grill, is still in custody, Capitol News Illinois reported. His attorney, Marleen Suarez, has petitioned to stay his deportation and said he has no driving under the influence conviction and a traffic case was dismissed after he finished supervision, according to the outlet.