Article Summary
- U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s office sent a letter Monday to U.S. Immigration and Customs Acting Director Todd Lyons, stating that her office terminated the employment of Duckworth staffer Edward York.
- Duckworth’s office stated that neither she nor her leadership team knew of York’s actions at ICE’s St. Louis field office on Oct. 29.
- York was accused of misrepresenting himself as an attorney in order to get access to a Staunton restaurant owner who was detained by immigration agents.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Wednesday, Nov. 19, with a comment from Duckworth’s office that was received after the story was published.
(Capitol News Illinois) — U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth has fired a staffer accused of misrepresenting himself as an attorney and falsifying an official form to visit and secure the release of a Staunton restaurant owner detained by immigration agents.
Duckworth sent the letter, a copy of which was obtained by Capitol News Illinois, to Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons on Monday, notifying him that staffer Edward York has been terminated
Last week, Lyons sent a letter to Duckworth’s office informing her of the allegations against York. The letter ended with a request that Duckworth respond to eight written questions, including whether York acted under her direction and authorization.
“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,” Duckworth’s letter stated.
Thomas Q. Keefe III, York’s attorney, declined to comment. Duckworth’s office released a statement to Capitol News Illinois late Tuesday.
“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 said 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.”
York, a constituent outreach coordinator in Duckworth’s Belleville office, went to the ICE Office in St. Louis on Oct. 29 — hours after agents detained Ismael Ayuzo Sandoval. Ayuzo was detained near his daughter’s school. York claimed to be Ayuzo’s attorney, Lyons’ letter stated, and demanded agents take York to see his client.
York then asked agents for a G-28 form, known as a Notice of Entry of Appearance as an Attorney or Accredited Representative.
“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 stated in the letter.
After Ayuzo signed it, seeking help, York then asked to see Ayuzo, according to Lyons’ letter, and was turned away. He was informed that he needed to visit Ayuzo at the county jail in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, about 65 miles south of St. Louis.
The letter further stated that, under the belief York was Ayuzo’s attorney, the immigration agent shared information with York, including that Ayuzo was deported four times and had a DUI conviction.
After further investigation, Lyons stated that ICE staff could not verify that York was an attorney.
Four days later, the Suarez Law Office in Collinsville, filed a G-28.
ICE agents later found a social media post on the Montgomery County Democrats’ page, stating that a member of Duckworth’s office went to the St. Louis field office “with a packet of documents including a release order,” Lyons’ letter stated.
Congressional staffers may request help on behalf of someone without legal status, but the detainee must grant permission for ICE to release information to them, according to the ICE website.
Lyons included a photo of the Montgomery County Democrats’ post that stated: “He is going there without giving ‘them’ knowledge he is on the Senator’s staff think they would be more cooperative.”
“It appears as if Mr. York may have collaborated with the firm to cover his misrepresentation,” Lyons’ letter stated.
Lloyd Cueto Jr., Marleen Suarez’s attorney, declined to comment. Suarez could not be reached for comment.
Ayuzo remains in custody in Ste. Genevieve as his attorney, Suarez, continues to fight his deportation. In her petition to stay his deportation filed last week, she stated that Ayuzo was never convicted of DUI, and the traffic case was dismissed after he successfully completed the terms of his supervision.
Ayuzo is a beloved figure in Staunton — a town of around 5,000 people in Macoupin County. Residents there rallied support around Ayuzo, stating he was a good husband and father and a valuable member of the community. Ayuzo, a married father of two, owns a restaurant called Caldera Bar and Grill on Main Street.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
(Reporting by Beth Hundsdorfer, Capitol News Illinois)
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