ICE alleges Benito Torres, a senior caseworker for Rep. Veronica Escobar, posed as an attorney at least 11 times and smuggled a cellphone into Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has barred Torres from all ICE facilities and requested written responses from Escobar about Torres’ employment and qualifications. Escobar called the allegations unfounded and pointed to ICE’s lack of responses to her oversight concerns about the facility.
ICE: Escobar Aide Repeatedly Posed As Lawyer and Smuggled Phone Into Fort Bliss Detention
Dem rep's staffer repeatedly posed as lawyer for detainees, smuggled phone into Texas facility, ICE says
A senior caseworker for Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) is accused by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of repeatedly misrepresenting himself as an attorney to gain access to detainees and of smuggling a cellphone into Camp East Montana, the detention site at Fort Bliss in El Paso.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons notified Escobar in a letter that Benito Torres, a senior caseworker on the congresswoman’s staff, allegedly falsely identified himself as counsel on at least 11 occasions between September 2025 and Jan. 30, 2026. ICE records included a sign-in log that reportedly shows Torres listing his role as "lawyer" and noting a visit to a "client," and agency officials say a phone was passed to multiple detainees during the most recent visit.
A staffer for Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, allegedly claimed to be an attorney to access a migrant detention facility and tried to smuggle a phone inside, officials said.(Getty Images)
"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.
ICE says that when facility staff confronted Torres during the January visit, he admitted he was not an attorney and said he was visiting as a private individual. Lyons’ letter states that, as a result of bringing a cell phone into the Camp East Montana facility, misrepresenting himself to gain access, and meeting with groups of detainees in violation of policy, "Mr. Torres is herby [sic] prohibited from accessing any ICE facility."
Lyons asked Rep. Escobar to provide written answers about whether Torres was employed by her on the dates in question, whether he is a licensed attorney, whether she knew of his actions, whether she condones them, and whether she will discipline him.
A log with the name of Benito Torres in which he allegedly claimed to be a "lawyer" visiting a "client."
In a statement to Fox News, Escobar defended Torres as "a dedicated public servant" and "Army veteran," calling the allegations "unfounded." She also said ICE has not responded to multiple oversight letters she sent about Camp East Montana, citing concerns about deaths (including an alleged homicide), outbreaks of COVID-19, measles and tuberculosis, waste, fraud and abuse, and insufficient legal and medical care. Escobar has described the facility as "disastrous and inhumane" and has urged its closure.
The case follows similar incidents involving congressional staffers. In November, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) fired a staffer who claimed to be an attorney for a detainee in an apparent effort to secure the detainee’s release. The dispute also comes against the backdrop of a federal judge briefly easing Department of Homeland Security restrictions on lawmaker visits to detention centers, which has influenced oversight access and tensions between lawmakers and ICE.
ICE has prohibited Torres from accessing all agency facilities and is seeking additional information from Escobar’s office. Escobar’s team says it will respond to the agency’s inquiries.
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