US authorities arrested a Wisconsin county judge on Friday, accusing her of assisting a man involved in her court case to avoid detection by immigration officials. The incident adds fuel to the ongoing conflict between President Donald Trump’s administration and local officials over immigration enforcement.
Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County circuit judge, faces federal charges of obstructing a proceeding and helping an individual from arrest after she allegedly allowed Eduardo Flores-Ruiz — a previously deported man appearing in her courtroom on state charges — to slip out a restricted exit and avoid federal agents waiting to detain him on immigration grounds.
The incident took place on April 18, when ICE agents arrived at Dugan’s courtroom to arrest Flores-Ruiz.
According to a federal complaint, Dugan became visibly upset, told the agents to speak with the chief judge, and directed the defendant and his attorney through a jury door to bypass the agents. He was later arrested and remains in federal custody.
Who Is Hannah Dugan
Dugan, a former legal aid attorney and Catholic Charities leader, was briefly detained and released after a court appearance. She’s due back in court on May 15 to enter a plea.
The arrest is the latest flashpoint in a broader standoff between Trump’s federal immigration enforcement policies and local jurisdictions that have resisted cooperation. Trump-appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the move, stating, “No one is above the law.”
FBI Director Kash Patel initially announced the arrest in a social media post — later deleted — saying agents had detained Dugan for interfering with Flores-Ruiz’s arrest. Local officials, including Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, condemned the arrest as politically motivated and warned that federal law enforcement was being weaponized against dissent.
(With inputs from Reuters)
