We should give credit to even political opponents when they do the right thing. Maybe even more so for Congressional Democrats, who seem to do the right thing about as often as Halley's Comet passes by. But in this case, the Democrat in question is Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who, we recently learned, had a staffer who posed as an attorney to try to get an illegal alien released from ICE custody.
Senator Duckworth, we learned on Monday, has unceremoniously fired that staffer, hence doing the right thing. Fox News' Bill Melugin broke the news on his X account.
BREAKING: Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) notifies ICE she has fired a staffer who was accused by ICE of pretending to be the attorney of a previously deported illegal alien in an effort to free him from federal custody. Duckworth tells ICE in letter that she was not aware of, and… pic.twitter.com/Bg0UFzy9x5
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) November 17, 2025
The post continues:
Duckworth tells ICE in letter (sic) that she was not aware of, and didn’t authorize or direct the staffer’s conduct. He has been terminated - effective today, per Duckworth letter sent to ICE obtained by @FoxNews.
My colleague Mike Miller covered the staffer's attempted fraud last Wednesday.
Mike wrote:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Wednesday that a staffer from Illinois Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s office impersonated an immigration attorney in a brazen effort to free an illegal alien who has not only been deported to Mexico four times, but was also convicted of drunk driving.
According to a letter sent Wednesday to Duckworth's office, as exclusively reported by Fox News, ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Acting Director Todd Lyons said the staffer told federal agents he was the attorney of the illegal, 40-year-old Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval.
It was pretty brazen, indeed. Stupid, but brazen.
Now, before we get too happy about Senator Duckworth's actions, we should qualify them by pointing out that she has consistently opposed the Trump administration's efforts to repatriate illegal aliens, and she's no friend to the right in general. In this case, it would appear she has, much like the famous blind squirrel, found an acorn.
Read More: Democrats Decide Treating Rural Voters Like Low-Rent Morons Is the Best Way to Save NPR and PBS
Of course, there's no way she could have gotten away with anything but an immediate dismissal of this staffer. This was a blatant attempt to spring an illegal alien from federal custody by a poorly executed fraud, which makes one wonder if this staffer has more than two IQ points to rub together.
In the letter to Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, Senator Duckworth said in part, "I can confirm that neither I nor my leadership team was aware of, authorized, or directed" the fraud. Oddly, I find that pretty likely. A person contemplating something this truly hare-brained would have to be stupid indeed to let his employer know about it. Then again...
The staffer (identified in previous reporting as Edward York) will probably land on his feet. I'm sure there's a slot as an expert on immigration issues open at one of the major legacy media outlets.
Now, the final question: When will this person be arrested and arraigned?
Editor's Note: This article was updated post-publication for clarity.
Editor’s Note: We voted for mass deportations, not mass amnesty. Help us continue to fight back against those trying to go against the will of the American people.
Join RedState VIP today and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member