FBI charges Wisconsin judge for allegedly helping man evade immigration authorities

The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 1:03 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

The FBI connected Friday arrested a Wisconsin justice accused of helping a antheral evade migration authorities, escalating a clash betwixt Donald Trump's medication and the judiciary implicit the Republican president's sweeping migration crackdown. 

Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge, appeared concisely successful national tribunal successful Milwaukee Friday earlier being released from custody. Her adjacent tribunal quality is May 15. 

Dugan is charged with obstructing a proceeding and concealing an idiosyncratic to forestall arrest.

"Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made successful the involvement of nationalist safety," her attorney, Craig Mastantuono, said during the hearing. He declined to remark to an Associated Press newsman pursuing the tribunal appearance. 

Dugan is accused of escorting the man, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, and his lawyer retired of the courtroom done the assemblage doorway connected April 18 arsenic a mode to assistance avert his arrest, according to an FBI affidavit filed successful court.

The affidavit quotes the courtroom lawman arsenic having heard Dugan accidental words to the effect of, "Wait, travel with me," earlier ushering them into a non-public country of the courthouse. The enactment was unusual, the affidavit says, due to the fact that "only deputies, juries, tribunal staff, and in-custody defendants being escorted by deputies utilized the backmost assemblage door. Defence attorneys and defendants who were not successful custody ne'er utilized the assemblage door."

FBI Director Kash Patel said successful a station that was aboriginal deleted that migration officials had been attempting to apprehend Flores-Ruiz, whom helium described arsenic an "illegal alien." Patel said agents aboriginal caught up to Flores-Ruiz and detained him.

The Justice Department successful January ordered prosecutors to analyse for imaginable transgression charges against authorities and section officials who obstruct oregon impede national functions. As imaginable avenues for prosecution, a memo cited a conspiracy offence arsenic good arsenic a instrumentality prohibiting the harbouring of radical successful the state illegally. 

Legal battles implicit immigration, deportations

The apprehension comes arsenic Trump's medication successful astir 100 days into the word has already been warring pitched battles successful the courts, with Democratic opposition, implicit migration enforcement.

Federal judges person ordered the U.S. authorities to facilitate the instrumentality of 2 men who were not lone deported to El Salvador, but sent to a harsh situation successful that state — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, orginally from El Salvador, arsenic good arsenic a 20-year-old Venezuelan man, identified lone arsenic Cristian.

There person besides been lawsuits challenging the government's usage of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act arsenic the ineligible underpinning for immoderate deportations, arsenic good arsenic objections to the detentions of foreign-born students who participated successful U.S. protestation activity.

WATCH l How an 18th-century instrumentality has been utilized by the Trump administration:

In addition, a national justice connected Thursday blocked Donald Trump's medication from withholding national backing from 16 alleged sanctuary jurisdictions — each extracurricular Wisconsin — that person declined to co-operate with the Republican president's hardline migration crackdown.

During Trump's 2017-2021 administration, the Justice Department charged a Massachusetts justice with obstruction of justness connected allegations she helped a antheral who was surviving successful the U.S. illegally sneak retired a backmost doorway of a courthouse to evade a waiting migration enforcement agent. 

The prosecution of a sitting justice sparked outrage from galore successful the ineligible community, who slammed the lawsuit arsenic politically motivated. 

The lawsuit against Newton District Judge Shelley Joseph was dropped successful 2022 nether the Democratic Biden medication aft she agreed to notation herself to a authorities bureau that investigates allegations of misconduct by members of the bench.

Dugan was elected successful 2016 to the region tribunal Branch 31. She besides has served successful the court's probate and civilian divisions, according to her judicial campaigner biography. 

Before being elected to nationalist office, Dugan practiced astatine Legal Action of Wisconsin and the Legal Aid Society. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison successful 1981 with a bachelor of arts grade and earned her Juris Doctorate successful 1987 from the school.