FBI agents on Friday (local time) arrested Milwaukee county circuit court judge Hannah Dugan, accusing her of helping a man evade federal immigration agents in a courthouse incident that has sparked fresh tensions between the judiciary and the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Dugan was charged with concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest, and with obstructing a proceeding. Authorities allege she escorted 30-year-old Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer through a restricted courthouse door to avoid arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, who later detained Flores-Ruiz after a foot chase outside the courthouse.
“Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety,” said her attorney Craig Mastantuono during a brief court appearance following her arrest. Dugan was later released.
The Trump administration has often accused local officials of obstructing federal immigration enforcement, and this arrest adds to an already fraught relationship between the executive branch and the judiciary. “The rule of law is very simple,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “It doesn’t matter what line of work you’re in. If you break the law, we will follow the facts and we will prosecute you.”
Court documents reveal Dugan was alerted to the presence of ICE agents by her clerk. Witnesses said she appeared “visibly angry,” called the situation “absurd,” and led agents to the chief judge’s office before guiding Flores-Ruiz through a jury door into a non-public area of the courthouse. According to the FBI affidavit, the door was typically used only by juries, deputies, and in-custody defendants — not attorneys or un-detained individuals.
Flores-Ruiz, who had previously been deported in 2013, was in court for a hearing on misdemeanor domestic battery charges. If convicted, he faces up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine for each of the three counts.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers criticised the arrest, stating, “The Trump administration has repeatedly used dangerous rhetoric to attack and attempt to undermine our judiciary at every level.”
Meanwhile, Senator Tammy Baldwin called the move a “gravely serious and drastic” action that could threaten the separation of powers. Civic leader Emilio De Torre, speaking at a protest outside the federal courthouse, said, “She was certainly trying to make sure that due process is not disrupted and that the sanctity of the courts is upheld.”
The case draws parallels with the prosecution of a Massachusetts judge under the first Trump administration, which was ultimately dropped under President Biden.
Judge Dugan, elected to the Milwaukee court in 2016, previously worked at Legal Action of Wisconsin and the Legal Aid Society. She holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
