A U.S. judge has been arrested and charged by the FBI, accused of helping a man avoid immigration authorities.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was taken into custody on Friday morning, local time, inside her own courtroom.
According to a criminal complaint from the U.S. Justice Department, Ms. Dugan allegedly refused to hand over a man to immigration agents who arrived to detain him on April 18. She is accused of assisting his escape by allowing him to leave through a jury door.
Ms. Dugan faces charges of obstructing a proceeding and concealing a person to prevent arrest.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed her arrest and stated she was expected to appear in federal court in Milwaukee later on Friday.
Outside the courthouse, a crowd gathered, chanting: “free the judge now.”
The FBI has not yet provided an official comment.
This arrest follows the Justice Department’s directive for federal prosecutors to file criminal charges against local officials who obstruct Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts. Such resistance was widespread during Trump’s presidency from 2017 to 2021.
FBI Director Kash Patel initially posted on social media that the FBI had arrested Dugan for interfering with the apprehension of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, whom he labeled an “illegal alien.” He later deleted the post, which came before court documents were unsealed.
Wisconsin court records indicate that a man by that name, facing misdemeanor domestic abuse battery charges, appeared in Judge Dugan’s courtroom on April 18.
The complaint alleges that Ms. Dugan grew “visibly angry” and called the situation “absurd” when learning immigration officers were present to arrest Flores-Ruiz.
She reportedly directed immigration agents to consult with the chief judge and then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer through a door leading to a restricted area of the courthouse.
Carl Ashley, the chief judge of the Milwaukee court, declined to comment.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, citing unnamed sources, reported that Dugan guided Flores-Ruiz and his attorney into a private hallway and eventually into a public space, but did not hide them inside a jury deliberation room, contrary to some allegations.
Following his inauguration, Mr. Trump launched a wide-ranging immigration crackdown, declaring a national emergency and boosting efforts to arrest and deport large numbers of undocumented immigrants.
Ms. Dugan, first elected as a county judge in 2016, previously led the local Catholic Charities branch, which provides refugee resettlement services, among others.
Earlier in her career, she worked as an attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee.
