The FBI on Friday arrested a judge accused by the agency of obstruction after the man said he helped U.S. immigration authorities avoid him as he was about to arrest him in court.
County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested at 8:30am local time on Friday in a courthouse working in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on obstacle charges, a former U.S. Department of S spokesman.
Kash Patel, FBI director appointed by Trump; I wrote it X: “We believe that Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected a federal agent and allow an unlawful foreign subject to avoid arrest at Eduardo Flores Luis, who was arrested in court.”
He said he was able to arrest the target after the agent was “chased” and he was in custody. Patel added: “The judge’s obstruction has made it more dangerous for the public.”
Dugan made a temporary appearance in federal court in Milwaukee late Friday morning before being released from custody. Her next court appearance will be May 15th.
“Judge Dugan is deeply regretful and protests his arrest. It was not made for the benefit of public safety,” her lawyer, Craig Mustantuno, said at the hearing.
A crowd formed outside the courthouse, chanting, “Free the judge now.”
In a statement shared with Milwaukee Journal SentinelDugan’s lawyer said, “Hannah C. Dugan has given himself to the rule of law and legitimate procedure principles throughout his career as a lawyer and judge.”
It continued: “Judge Dugan looks forward to fiercely defending himself and exonerating him.”
Trump placed emphasis on his true social platform Share the image On the judge’s Facebook page, of the judges found by right-wing blogger Libs of Tiktok, Dugan was shown on a bench wearing a KN95 face mask, displaying the symbol of the Trident Ukrainian national.
Milwaukee City Council A statement has been issued After the arrest: “The news this morning that Judge Hannah Dugan has been arrested by federal authorities is shocking and upsetting. Judge Dugan should be given the same respect and legitimate process that she has enthusiastically provided others throughout her career.
“Perhaps the most frightening part of Judge Dugan’s arrest is the ongoing attacks by the current administration in Washington, D.C., which weaponized federal law enforcement agencies such as ICE against the immigrant community,” the statement reads. “As local elected officials, we work every day to support ingredients that are increasingly concerned and worrying about each and every migration incident.”
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat who represents Wisconsin, called the arrest of an incumbent judge a “significant, serious and dramatic move” and called it “violating” the separation of power between the executive branch and the judicial branch.
“Don’t make mistakes. We don’t have a king in this country. We are a democracy ruled by laws that everyone must adhere to,” Baldwin said in a statement emailed after Dugan’s arrest.
Left-wing Sen. Bernie Sanders said the move was about “unidentified forces.”
“Let’s be clear: Judge Dugan’s Trump arrest in Milwaukee has nothing to do with immigration. [Trump] We will move this country to authoritarianism,” he said in a statement.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said in a social media post: “This administration is threatening our country’s judicial system.
The FBI Director posted later that day Photo of a judge in handcuffs With X with caption: “No one is beyond the law.”
The judge’s arrest dramatically escalates tensions between federal and state and local authorities amid Donald Trump’s anti-immigration crackdown. It is also the growth of the battle between the Trump administration and federal judiciary over the president’s enforcement actions over deportation and other issues.
In a statement from the Wisconsin governor, Democrat Tony Evers accused the Trump administration of repeatedly using “using dangerous rhetoric to undermine the judiciary at all levels.”
“I deeply respect the rule of law, the judiciary of our nation, the importance of judges making fair decisions without fear or favor, and the efforts of law enforcement agencies to hold people accountable if they commit a crime,” Evers said. “As this situation unfolds in court, I will continue to put my faith in the judicial system.”
On Tuesday, the FBI reported in accordance with an email obtained by Milwaukee that Dugan was “investigating whether undocumented immigrants attempted to avoid arrest when they were due to appear in court.” Journal Sentinel.
Dugan told Journal Sentinel: “Almost all the facts about email ‘tips’ are inaccurate. ”
Dugan’s arrest was the first time the Trump administration was released to accusing local officials who allegedly obstructed immigration enforcement.
Emil Bove, the Department of Justice Chief Deputy Attorney General, issued a memo in January calling for prosecutors to pursue criminal cases against local government officials who hampered federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Bove states in Notes on 3 pages: “Federal law prohibits state and local officials from resisting, obstructing, or otherwise not following legal immigration-related orders or demands.”
According to documents filed in court, Dugan is charged with a federal crime of obstructing the lawsuit and covering up an individual to prevent arrest.
The administration allegedly in their original encounter, the judge ordered immigrants to leave the court, saying there was no warrant signed by the judge to arrest the suspects they were sought.
Prosecutors said Dugan was “visibly angry” when he learned that immigration agents were planning an arrest in court, according to a court application.
Dugan ordered immigration officers to speak to the Supreme Court, then escorted Flores Lewis and his attorney through doors leading to the court’s non-public territories, the prosecutor’s complaint said.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel cites sources that it didn’t identify, saying that Dugan led Flores Lewis and his lawyers to private corridors and public areas, but did not hide the pair in the Ju Court’s deliberation room, as some accused of doing her.
Dugan was first elected county judge in 2016, and before that he was head of the local branch of a Catholic charity that offers resettlement programs for refugees. She previously was a lawyer for the Milwaukee Legal Aid Association and served low-income people.
The case is similar to what was brought into the first Trump administration against a Massachusetts judge. He was accused of helping the man sneak up through the backdoor of the court to avoid waiting immigration enforcement agents.
The prosecution sparked anger from many people in the legal community and accused the case of being politically motivated. Prosecutors under the Biden administration dropped the case against Newton District Judge Shelley Joseph in 2022 after agreeing to refer them to state agencies investigating allegations of misconduct by bench members.
But attorney general Pam Bondi conducted a media interview, in which she said she targeted judges she believed the administration was breaking the law.
“Some of these judges think they are beyond the law. They aren’t, and we’re sending a very strong message today… If you have a fugitive, we’ll come after you and we’ll prosecute you.”
The Associated Press contributed to reporting
