DHS releases new evidence in case of Dem staffer accused of impersonating ICE attorney
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released additional evidence it says confirms that a staffer for Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, lied about being an attorney for detainees at a...
By Fox News · Fox News
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released additional evidence it says confirms that a staffer for Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, lied about being an attorney for detainees at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in an effort to meet with them and sneak in smuggled cell phones. In March, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons informed Escobar in a letter about Benito Torres, a senior caseworker on the congresswoman's staff, who he said lied about being a lawyer for detainees in ICE custody at the Camp East Montana facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso. Lyons requested that Escobar answer several questions about Torres' alleged actions. "Rep. Escobar refused to respond honestly. Instead, she took to X to defend Torres and gaslight the public," DHS said Thursday. ILHAN OMAR KICKED OUT OF ICE FACILITY AFTER DHS REQUIRES WEEK'S ADVANCE NOTICE Initially, DHS released an image of a sign-in log showing Torres allegedly claiming to be a "lawyer" visiting a "client." ICE records show that he first misrepresented himself as a legal professional in September 2025, Lyons said. A Feb. 18 memo states that on a Jan. 23 visit to the facility, Torres falsely claimed to be an attorney while requesting to see 22 detainees. It was determined that he was not a legal professional, the memo said. The most recent incident allegedly happened on Jan. 30. ICE DIRECTOR STANDS HIS GROUND AFTER SWALWELL BLOWUP, SAYS DEMOCRATS ARE ‘MISLEADING THEIR CONSTITUENTS’ "Torres lied about being an attorney in order to gain access to an ICE detention facility," a DHS statement said. "He misrepresented himself repeatedly over the course of several months, talking directly to detainees even though he was NOT their legal counsel. He even passed a phone around multiple detainees during a January 2026 visit, a dangerous violation of security protocols." "Actions like Mr. Torres’ are meant to undermine ICE’s statutory mission to enforce immigration laws and remove illegal aliens from the…