Homeland Security Demands Answers After Senate Aide Allegedly Used Falsified Legal Paperwork To Access Four-Time Deportee In ICE Custody

Thursday, November 13, 2025, 7:45 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Jennifer Hodges, Political Editor: Englebrook Independent News,

ST. LOUIS, IL.- In what apparently seems to be another instance of Democrats prioritizing illegal immigrants over American citizens, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has accused a staff member in the office of Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) of impersonating an immigration attorney in an attempt to secure the release of a previously deported undocumented immigrant held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

     According to a formal letter sent to Duckworth’s office on November 12, 2025, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons alleges that Edward York, a constituent-outreach coordinator in the Senator’s office, entered the ICE field office in St. Louis on October 29, 2025, at approximately 1:29 p.m. and presented himself as the legal representative for detainee Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval, a 40-year-old Mexican national.

     ICE officials reported that York presented a signed G-28 form, the federal document required to designate legal representation in immigration proceedings, granting him access to Sandoval. DHS states that ICE later determined York was not an attorney, nor was he accredited to represent any detainee under U.S. law.

     Sandoval, DHS reports, had been deported four times prior to his most recent detention and had a prior DUI conviction. ICE officers said Sandoval had unlawfully reentered the United States after each removal.

     On November 2, 2025, four days after York’s in-person visit, a law office in Collinsville, Illinois, submitted an electronic G-28 form that lacked Sandoval’s signature. DHS says the discrepancy suggests potential coordination intended to obscure how York accessed Sandoval inside the ICE facility. Added scrutiny arose after DHS cited a Facebook post from the Montgomery County, Illinois, Democratic Party describing a staffer visiting the ICE office “with a packet of documents and a release order,” which the agency argues is consistent with the allegations.

     In his letter, Acting Director Lyons wrote: “I implore all members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate… to stop the political games that put law enforcement and detainees at risk.” The letter requires Senator Duckworth’s office to respond by November 17, 2025, clarifying whether York acted alone, whether any federal documents were falsified, and whether any additional staff members were aware of or involved in the incident.

     As of publication time, Senator Duckworth’s office has not issued a detailed public response. Federal officials anticipate further oversight inquiries as the investigation progresses.

Editor’s Note:

This article was written by Jennifer Hodges, Political Editor, for Englebrook Independent News. All names, dates, allegations, procedural details, and background information are sourced from publicly available materials, including the DHS/ICE letter and reporting from Fox News, Independent Journal Review, and KMJ Now. Attribution for all referenced information is drawn exclusively from these published sources. Englebrook Independent News will update this report should any involved offices or individuals issue additional statements or clarifications.