US EditionEscobar denounces ICE accusations against staff member
Benito Torres allegedly impersonated an attorney at least 11 times and smuggled cellphones into ICE detention, leading to a ban from all ICE facilities, according to Acting Director Lyons.
- On Thursday, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons informed Rep. Veronica Escobar that her staffer, Benito Torres, is banned from all ICE facilities after allegedly smuggling phones and impersonating an attorney.
- Records indicate Torres allegedly misrepresented himself as counsel at least 11 times, repeatedly signing federal G-28 forms and claiming to be a lawyer to access detainees, ICE says.
- After being caught passing a phone, Torres admitted he was not an attorney and was visiting as a private citizen, according to ICE.
- Rep. Veronica Escobar rejected the allegations, calling her staffer a "dedicated public servant" and stating she has "every reason to believe these allegations are unfounded."
- Following the incident, ICE has requested Escobar provide further information regarding the visits, echoing a 2025 case where Sen. Tammy Duckworth fired a staffer.
13 Articles
13 Articles
A political and legal controversy has been unleashed following allegations by the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE) against a member of the team of Texan congresswoman Veronica Escobar, who allegedly impersonated as a lawyer on multiple occasions to enter immigration detention facilities.Read more
Washington Times
The New York LedgerICE bars staffer for Democratic representative from visiting detainees
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday that it has banned a staffer from the office of Rep. Veronica Escobar from entering any of its detention facilities, saying the man lied and broke the rules by letting detainees use his phone.
Escobar's staffer accused of pretending to be immigration attorney at Camp East Montana
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) - Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons sent a letter to Rep. Veronica Escobar, (D) Texas, detailing that one of her staffers posed as an attorney to gain access into Camp East Montana facilities at least 11 times. The letter also said that the staffer, Benito Torres, attempted to pass out cell phones to multiple detainees. The letter claims that once a facility administrator confronted Torres about passin…
Staffer Fakes Being a Lawyer to Sneak Phones Into ICE Facility
A senior caseworker for Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) allegedly impersonated an attorney at least 11 times to gain access to an ICE detention facility and smuggle cell phones to detainees, according to a letter Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons sent to the congresswoman Thursday. The staffer, Benito Torres, is accused of misrepresenting himself as legal counsel for detainees held at the Camp East Montana facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso. ICE record…
Escobar denounces ICE accusations against staff member
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) - Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, on Thursday rejected what she described as "unfounded" accusations made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement against a member of her congressional staff. She criticized the agency's record on transparency and oversight. In a statement issued Thursday, March 19, Escobar defended the staffer who she said [...]
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