Wisconsin Judge Arrested After Allegedly Helping Immigrant Evade ICE
A Milwaukee courtroom clash fuels a fiery debate over immigration enforcement
It was a tense morning in Milwaukee on April 25, 2025, when U.S. Marshals walked into the county courthouse and arrested Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan. The feds say she crossed a line—helping an undocumented immigrant slip out of their grasp after a hearing. The incident has turned a local courtroom into the latest battleground over the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies, leaving Milwaukee leaders and residents sharply divided.
Dugan, a 65-year-old judge who’s been on the bench since 2016, now faces two serious felony charges: obstructing an official proceeding and concealing someone to prevent their arrest. The drama unfolded a week earlier, on April 18, when federal agents showed up to apprehend Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a 30-year-old Mexican man who was in Dugan’s courtroom for a pretrial hearing on domestic violence charges. Flores-Ruiz, who’d been deported back in 2013, had reentered the U.S. illegally and was facing three misdemeanor battery charges.
Court documents tell a contentious story. When Dugan’s clerk informed her that ICE agents were waiting in the hallway, the judge reportedly grew “visibly angry,” called the situation “absurd,” and told the agents to take it up with the chief judge. There’s a dispute over whether the agents presented a proper warrant—Dugan’s reaction may have stemmed from a procedural disagreement rather than an intent to obstruct, though that remains unproven pending her defense in court. After the hearing, Dugan allegedly led Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a restricted jury door, a back exit that let them bypass the public area where agents were stationed. Prosecutors say this was an attempt to help him avoid arrest, but Flores-Ruiz didn’t get far—agents chased him down outside after a short sprint. He’s been in custody since, with a court date set for May 14.
Dugan’s arrest has sent shockwaves through Milwaukee. She appeared in federal court the same day she was taken into custody, staying silent during the brief hearing. Her lawyer, Craig Mastantuono, didn’t hold back, telling the court: “Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety.” She’s due back in court on May 15, and her intent in the incident remains a matter for the legal process to determine.
The Trump administration is standing firm. FBI Director Kash Patel took to X to explain the arrest: “We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest. 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.” Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaking on Fox News, was even more pointed: “We could not believe that a judge really did that. You cannot obstruct a criminal case. And really, shame on her. It was a domestic violence case of all cases, and she’s protecting a criminal defendant over victims of crime.” Bondi alleged that Flores-Ruiz’s assault was brutal: “[He] beat the guy, hit the guy 30 times, knocked him to the ground, choked him, beat up a woman so badly, they both had to go to the hospital.” Those details, however, remain unconfirmed in court records and are based solely on Bondi’s statements.
Local leaders are pushing back hard. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson called the arrest a flashy stunt by the feds, one that could scare people away from the courts. “They’re just trying to have this show of force and in the process of doing this in a courthouse where people need to go for court proceedings they’re scaring people away from participating in the process… and that makes our community less safe,” he said at a press briefing. In a follow-up statement, Johnson pressed the Trump administration to focus on fixing the economy instead of “settling scores.” Governor Tony Evers chimed in, accusing the administration of targeting judges who don’t toe the line: “I will continue to put my faith in our justice system as this situation plays out in the court of law.” Senator Tammy Baldwin, another Wisconsin Democrat, called the arrest a “gravely serious and drastic move” that risks undermining the separation of powers.
The criticism didn’t stop there. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois weighed in with a sharp rebuke: “When immigration enforcement officials interfere with our criminal justice system, it undermines public safety, prevents victims and witnesses from coming forward, and often prevents those who committed crimes from facing justice in the United States. How does this make America any safer? How does arresting a sitting judge make America any safer? It is imperative that Judge Dugan is afforded due process and the presumption of innocence, as required by our Constitution and her fundamental rights as an American.”
Not everyone’s siding with Dugan, though. Republican State Representative Bob Donovan called her actions—if true—unprecedented in his decades of working with Milwaukee’s legal system. “In all my years of Milwaukee politics and public safety issues, working with cops, district attorneys, and judges, I have never seen a more irresponsible act by an officer of the court, let alone a judge, if true,” he said in a statement. “This borders on obstruction of justice and I hope the FBI continues a thorough investigation and, if warranted, prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Trump administration’s border czar, Tom Homan, doubled down on the hardline stance. Posting on X, he wrote: “I have said many times within the past few months, that people can choose to support illegal immigration and not assist ICE in removing criminal illegal aliens from our communities, BUT DON’T CROSS THAT LINE. If you actively impede our enforcement efforts or if you knowingly harbor or conceal illegal aliens from ICE you will be prosecuted. These actions are felonies. More to come.”
Dugan’s background adds another layer to the story. Before becoming a judge, she worked with legal aid groups and served as executive director of Catholic Charities of Southeastern Wisconsin. Elected to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court in 2016, she ran unopposed in 2022 and mostly handles misdemeanor cases. Just days before her arrest, she pushed back on local media reports about the incident, telling the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Nearly every fact regarding the ‘tips’ in your email is inaccurate.”
Outside the federal courthouse, protesters gathered to support Dugan. Groups like the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression demanded the charges be dropped. “This is incorrect. This is immoral,” said Casey Serrano, a member of the group. The ACLU of Wisconsin’s Melinda Brennan didn’t mince words either, calling the arrest “chilling, cruel and undermining the rule of law.”
This isn’t the first time tensions over ICE operations have flared in Milwaukee. In recent weeks, agents arrested two other individuals in the courthouse hallways, and just a day before Dugan’s arrest, a former New Mexico judge and his wife were taken into custody for allegedly harboring an undocumented immigrant. Dugan’s case marks a new escalation—the first known instance of the Trump administration charging a local official with interfering in immigration enforcement. It’s a stark reminder of the growing rift between federal priorities and local values in cities like Milwaukee, with the outcome of this case still unfolding in the courts.
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Fox News: FBI arrests Wisconsin judge, alleging she obstructed arrest of illegal alien
Published April 25, 2025, this piece dives into the FBI’s arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan, accused of helping Eduardo Flores-Ruiz dodge ICE agents. It highlights the severity of Flores-Ruiz’s alleged domestic violence incident—two victims hospitalized—and includes Attorney General Pam Bondi’s strong disapproval: “We could not believe that a judge really did that.” The article frames the arrest as part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested by the FBI. Was that right? Tell us.
Published April 25, 2025, this opinion piece examines the arrest of Dugan by U.S. Marshals, sparking a local debate over immigration enforcement in courthouses. It notes Dugan’s earlier pushback against media reports—“Nearly every fact regarding the ‘tips’ in your email is inaccurate”—and covers the protests outside the courthouse, with groups like the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression calling the charges unjust.
NBC News: FBI arrests Milwaukee judge Hannah Dugan, alleging she interfered in immigration operation
Published April 25, 2025, this report details how Dugan allegedly helped Flores-Ruiz avoid ICE by leading him through a jury door. It situates the incident within the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies, quoting Senator Tammy Baldwin’s concern that the arrest is a “gravely serious and drastic move” threatening judicial independence.
