A federal investigation into a Milwaukee County judge's alleged attempt to help an undocumented immigrant avoid arrest has led to her immediate suspension from the bench.
According to USA TODAY, the Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan following federal charges that she assisted an undocumented immigrant in evading Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials at the courthouse.
The suspension comes after Dugan, 65, was charged with two federal counts on April 25 - one felony count of obstructing a U.S. agency and a misdemeanor count of concealing an individual to prevent arrest. The charges stem from an incident where she allegedly helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented Mexican immigrant, escape arrest by federal immigration officials after he appeared in her courtroom.
The criminal complaint details how Dugan allegedly escorted Flores-Ruiz and his public defender through a side door of her courtroom after learning that immigration authorities were waiting in the hallway. Despite her alleged intervention, federal agents managed to apprehend Flores-Ruiz following a brief foot chase outside the courthouse.
FBI agents arrested Dugan at the courthouse a week after the incident. The judge faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $350,000 fine, though sentences for nonviolent offenses typically result in shorter terms.
The case marks the third recent incident involving federal immigration agents attempting arrests at the Milwaukee courthouse, reflecting the Trump administration's intensified immigration enforcement efforts.
The arrest has ignited fierce debate along political lines, with Republicans calling for Dugan's removal while Democrats criticize courthouse arrests. The controversy has sparked protests across Milwaukee, drawing crowds of over 200 people outside the FBI Field Office.
Trump administration officials, including U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, praised the arrest on social media. The Wisconsin Supreme Court's administrative order allows Dugan to continue receiving her $174,512 annual salary while suspended.
Dugan's legal team responded to the suspension with the following statement:
We are disappointed that the Court acted in unilateral fashion. We continue to assert Judge Dugan's innocence and look forward to her vindication in court.
The investigation revealed that Flores-Ruiz, 30, had previously been deported in 2013. He faces three misdemeanor counts of domestic battery, each carrying potential penalties of up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine.
ICE officials obtained an arrest warrant for Flores-Ruiz on April 17, deploying six plainclothes task force members to apprehend him at the courthouse the following day. The operation culminated in his arrest after a foot chase near the intersection of W. State Street and 10th Street.
Federal authorities have since charged Flores-Ruiz with illegal reentry into the United States. He remains in federal custody at the Ozaukee County Jail.
Judge Hannah Dugan's case highlights the complex intersection of state judicial authority and federal immigration enforcement. The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended the Milwaukee County Circuit judge after she allegedly helped an undocumented immigrant evade ICE agents at the courthouse. As the legal proceedings unfold, Dugan faces serious federal charges that could result in prison time and substantial fines, while the incident has sparked widespread protests and deepened political divisions over immigration enforcement in judicial spaces.
