Details are still unfolding, but according to early reports from MSNBC’s Washington D.C. Bureau, the arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan stemmed from an incident occurring last week. Federal officials allege that Judge Dugan intentionally misled ICE agents to allow Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an immigrant from Mexico who appeared before Dugan for a pretrial, to evade ICE custody. Flores-Ruiz was later arrested by DHS officials, and Dugan was detained at the courthouse at 9:30am on Friday, April 24th.
Information about the underlying charges against Flores-Ruiz, as well as the exact nature of Dugan’s alleged actions, are still emerging. Federal charging documents have not been unsealed, and it is unclear when they will become publicly available.
As announced by FBI Director Kash Patel in a now-deleted tweet, “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.”
It is unclear why this tweet has been deleted.
Current U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi also released a statement saying, “I can confirm that our FBI agents just arrested Hannah Dugan, a county judge in Milwaukee, for allegedly helping an illegal alien avoid arrest by ICE. No one is above the law.”
This is an incredibly ironic statement coming from a woman who represents the most corrupt president in history, who himself behaves as though he’s above the law. If the situation weren’t so chilling, Bondi’s statement would almost be laughable.
Given the backdrop of Trump’s well-documented history of hostility towards judges who rule against him, his ignoring of court orders, and his open calls for judicial impeachments for no apparent reason, this arrest feels like the next terrifying escalation.The arrest of a judge should send immediate red flags surrounding judicial independence, the targeting of perceived political enemies, and the future of law and order in this country.
This incident follows a pattern of increasing tensions between federal immigration authorities and local courts. On April 14, in an unrelated case, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office in Boston rebuked a local judge for allegedly mishandling an immigration-related arrest, citing concerns over the supremacy of federal authority.
Under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) maintain the authority to conduct arrests, even inside local courthouses. Cases like these have fueled the debate surrounding overreach. Courthouses are supposed to be spaces where people can safely participate in legal proceedings without having to worry about ICE agents waiting for them in the parking lot and being unjustly snatched up once the hearing is over.
If the government creates an environment where undocumented people believe showing up to court will lead to their arrest, they will stop coming. If that happens, it’s not just these immigrants who are losing their due process, but all of us.
Judge Dugan briefly appeared in federal court on Friday before being released from custody. Her lawyer stated she “wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest,” adding that the arrest was “not made in the interest of public safety.”
We are watching the architecture of democratic norms buckle under the weight of a government that sees judges not as neutral arbiters, but as obstacles to be punished. This is a dark, unprecedented moment in American history. And it is far from over.