One of Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar’s (TX-16) staffers is accused of smuggling phones to detainees in an ICE facility while posing as an attorney.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons sent the lawmaker a letter about Benito Torres, a senior caseworker on Escobar’s staff, saying he lied at least 11 times about being an attorney to obtain permission to meet with illegal immigrant detainees.
From Fox News:
Lyons said Torres lied about being a lawyer for detainees in ICE custody at the Camp East Montana facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso.
"The available evidence demonstrates your staffer, a senior caseworker named Benito Torres, misrepresented himself as counsel for detainees in ICE custody, violated clear detention standards and security protocols prohibiting the use of cellphones inside ICE facilities, improperly met with multiple detainees, and falsely claimed to ICE personnel such use had been approved by the agency," Lyons wrote.
"As a result of bringing a cell phone into the Camp East Montana facility, contrary to facility visitation policy, Mr. Torres’ misrepresentation that he is a licensed attorney to gain access to detainees, his improper meetings with groups of detainees, and his assertions to ICE personnel about the origins of his visit, Mr. Torres is herby [sic] prohibited from accessing any ICE facility."
An image of a sign-in log shows Torres allegedly claiming to be a "lawyer" visiting a "client." ICE records show that Torres first misrepresented himself as a legal professional in September 2025, Lyons said. The most recent incident happened on Jan. 30.
During that visit, Torres was confronted by a facility administrator and admitted that he was not an attorney and was visiting as a private person. The confrontation happened after officials in the facility became aware of someone passing a phone to multiple detainees, the letter states.
Lyons has requested that Escobar provide written responses to several questions, including whether Torres was employed by the legislator on the dates he visited the ICE facility, if he is a licensed attorney and if she was aware of his alleged actions.
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Escobar addressed the matter in a Thursday post on X. “I have every reason to believe these allegations are unfounded,” she wrote. “It is worth noting that ICE has refused to respond to multiple letters I’ve sent about Camp East Montana regarding deaths, including a homicide; outbreaks of diseases including COVID-19, measles, and tuberculosis; waste, fraud, and abuse; a lack of legal representation or medical care; and so much more.”
This administration has a history of engaging in intimidation tactics against Members of Congress as well as continuously attempting to obstruct our ability to provide oversight.
I stand proudly by the members of my team who have demonstrated nothing but dedication and integrity to serving our nation and our community.
Today, accusations were made against one of my caseworkers — a dedicated public servant, Army veteran, and experienced member of my team. I have every reason to believe these allegations are unfounded.
— Rep. Veronica Escobar (@RepEscobar) March 19, 2026
It is worth noting that ICE has refused to respond to multiple letters I’ve…
This is not an isolated incident. Other congressional staffers have used similar methods to access ICE facilities. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) fired a staffer in November for claiming to be an attorney for an illegal immigrant detainee to get him released.
Escobar has been a vocal critic of ICE and the Trump administration’s overall immigration enforcement operations. In a press release she explained why she refused to support increased funding for federal immigration enforcement agencies. She said she “cannot in good conscience support additional money for ICE and Border Patrol” and pointed out that the agencies already received a “whopping $165 billion for the Department of Homeland Security and $85 billion for ICE alone in Donald Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’”
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