Federal agents have arrested a Wisconsin judge on charges of obstructing immigration agents, escalating tensions between President Donald Trump’s administration and the judiciary.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Director Kash Patel said on Friday that the judge was arrested for allegedly helping an undocumented migrant evade federal agents.
In a criminal complaint, the US Department of Justice alleged that Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County circuit judge, refused to turn over the man after immigration agents showed up to arrest him in her court on April 18, and that she tried to help him evade arrest by allowing him to exit through a jury door.
“Thankfully our agents chased down the perp [undocumented migrant] on foot and he’s been in custody since, but the Judge’s obstruction created increased danger to the public,” Patel said.
The Justice Department has said that Judge Dugan became “visibly angry” when immigration officials arrived to arrest Flores-Ruiz in her court, and called the effort “absurd”.
Dugan appeared briefly at a federal court in Milwaukee to face charges of obstructing a proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent arrest, records show. She was released and is scheduled to enter a plea on May 15. A crowd formed outside the court, chanting “free the judge now.”
Dugan left the court through a side door following the hearing and was driven away in a black SUV, without comment.
Immigration and legal rights advocates have said that subjecting civic spaces, such as courts, to immigration enforcement operations could increase hesitation among people without legal status to take part in activities such as testifying in court about crimes.
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