Dem rep's staffer repeatedly posed as lawyer for detainees, smuggled phone into Texas facility, ICE says

A staffer for Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, allegedly lied astir being an lawyer astatine slightest 11 times for detainees astatine a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement installation successful an effort to conscionable with them and sneak successful compartment phones. 

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons informed Escobar successful a missive dated Thursday astir Benito Torres, a elder caseworker connected the congresswoman's staff.

Lyons said Torres lied astir being a lawyer for detainees successful ICE custody astatine the Camp East Montana installation astatine Fort Bliss successful El Paso. 

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A staffer for Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, allegedly claimed to beryllium an lawyer to entree a migrant detention installation and tried to smuggle a telephone inside, officials said.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

"The disposable grounds demonstrates your staffer, a elder caseworker named Benito Torres, misrepresented himself arsenic counsel for detainees in ICE custody, violated wide detention standards and information protocols prohibiting the use of cellphones wrong ICE facilities, improperly met with aggregate detainees, and falsely claimed to ICE unit specified usage had been approved by the agency," Lyons wrote. 

"As a effect of bringing a compartment telephone into the Camp East Montana facility, contrary to installation visitation policy, Mr. Torres’ misrepresentation that helium is simply a licensed lawyer to summation entree to detainees, his improper meetings with groups of detainees, and his assertions to ICE unit astir the origins of his visit, Mr. Torres is herby prohibited from accessing immoderate ICE facility."

An representation of a sign-in log shows Torres allegedly claiming to beryllium a "lawyer" visiting a "client." ICE records amusement that Torres archetypal misrepresented himself arsenic a ineligible nonrecreational successful September 2025, Lyons said. The astir caller incidental happened connected Jan. 30. 

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A log with the sanction of Benito Torres successful which helium allegedly claimed to beryllium a "lawyer" visiting a "client." (ICE)

During that visit, Torres was confronted by a installation head and admitted that helium was not an lawyer and was visiting arsenic a backstage person. The confrontation happened aft officials successful the installation became alert of idiosyncratic passing a telephone to aggregate detainees, the missive states. 

Lyons has requested that Escobar supply written responses to respective questions, including whether Torres was employed by the legislator connected the dates helium visited the ICE facility, if helium is simply a licensed lawyer and if she was alert of his alleged actions. 

Lyons besides asked Escobar if she condones specified behaviour and whether she volition clasp Torres accountable. 

Fox News Digital has reached retired to Escobar's office. Escobar has called Camp East Montana "disastrous and inhumane" and has demanded that it beryllium unopen down. 

"The United States already has the largest migration detention web successful the world, and these added facilities service lone arsenic tools for the administration’s inhumanity," she wrote successful a March X station connected X, successful which she criticized the "chronic substandard conditions" astatine the migrant facility. 

El Paso migration installation faces scrutiny but ICE says Camp East Montana is upgrading, not closing, aft the $1.2 cardinal declaration termination. (Omar Ornelas/El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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Other legislature staffers person tried akin ploys to entree ICE facilities successful the past. In November, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., fired a staffer who claimed to beryllium an lawyer for an amerciable migrant successful an effort to facilitate his release. 

Edward York claimed helium was legally representing Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval. Sandoval, a Mexican citizen, had a DUI condemnation and was antecedently deported 4 times to Mexico.