Immigration Enforcement and Detention

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has formally accused Benito Torres, a senior caseworker for Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, of repeatedly lying about being an attorney to gain access to detainees at the Camp East Montana ICE facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso and of smuggling in a cell phone. In a letter to Escobar dated Thursday, Lyons says facility logs show Torres falsely listed himself as a lawyer at least 11 times since September 2025, conducted improper group meetings with detainees and violated a clear ban on cell phones inside ICE detention centers. During the most recent visit on Jan. 30, officials confronted Torres after reports someone was passing a phone among detainees; he allegedly admitted he was not an attorney and claimed to be visiting in a private capacity. ICE has now barred Torres from all ICE facilities and is demanding Escobar answer written questions on whether he was on her staff during the visits, whether she knew of or condones the conduct, and whether he is licensed to practice law. The incident comes as Escobar has been a vocal critic of Camp East Montana as 'disastrous and inhumane,' and follows a similar 2025 case in which Sen. Tammy Duckworth fired a staffer for falsely claiming to be an immigrant’s lawyer to facilitate his release, raising broader questions about congressional oversight tactics and security at federal detention sites.