MILWAUKEE (AP) — The FBI on Friday arrested a Milwaukee judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities, escalating a clash between the Trump administration and the judiciary over the Republican president’s sweeping immigration crackdown.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced on social media the arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan, who he said “intentionally misdirected” federal agents away from a man they were trying to take into custody at her courthouse last week.
“Thankfully our agents chased down the perp on foot and he’s been in custody since, but the Judge’s obstruction created increased danger to the public,” Patel wrote.
Dugan was taken into custody by the FBI on Friday morning on the courthouse grounds, according to U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson Brady McCarron. She appeared briefly in federal court in Milwaukee later Friday before being released from custody. Her next court appearance is May 15.
“Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety," her attorney, Craig Mastantuono, said during the hearing. He declined to comment to an Associated Press reporter following her court appearance.
Dugan is accused of escorting the man, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, and his lawyer out of the courtroom through the jury door on April 18 as a way to help avert his arrest, according to an FBI affidavit filed in court.
The affidavit quotes the courtroom deputy as having heard Dugan say words to the effect of “Wait, come with me” before ushering them into a non-public area of the courthouse. The action was unusual, the affidavit says, because “only deputies, juries, court staff, and in-custody defendants being escorted by deputies used the back jury door. Defense attorneys and defendants who were not in custody never used the jury door.”
During President Donald Trump's first administration, the Justice Department in 2019 charged a Massachusetts judge with obstruction of justice on allegations she helped a man who was living in the U.S. illegally sneak out a back door of a courthouse to evade a waiting immigration enforcement agent.
The prosecution of a sitting judge sparked outrage from many in the legal community, who slammed the case as politically motivated. The case against Newton District Judge Shelley Joseph was dropped in 2022 under the Democratic Biden administration after she agreed to refer herself to a state agency that investigates allegations of misconduct by members of the bench.
Dugan's arrest comes amid a growing feud between the Trump administration and the judiciary over the White House’s immigration enforcement policies. The Justice Department had previously signaled that it was going to crack down on local officials who thwart federal immigration efforts.
Court documents detailing the case against Dugan were not immediately available, and the Justice Department didn't immediately have a comment Friday.
A person answering the phone Friday at Dugan’s office said he could not comment. The Associated Press left an email and a voicemail Friday morning seeking comment from Milwaukee County Courts Chief Judge Carl Ashley.
The Justice Department in January ordered prosecutors to investigate for potential criminal charges against state and local officials who obstruct or impede federal functions. As potential avenues for prosecution, a memo cited a conspiracy offense as well as a law prohibiting the harboring of people in the country illegally.
Dugan was elected in 2016 to the county court Branch 31. She also has served in the court’s probate and civil divisions, according to her judicial candidate biography.
Before being elected to public office, Dugan practiced at Legal Action of Wisconsin and the Legal Aid Society. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981 with a bachelor of arts degree and earned her Juris Doctorate in 1987 from the school.
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Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker in Washington contributed.
Alanna Durkin Richer, Devi Shastri And Corey Williams, The Associated Press
