Judge Hannah Dugan arrested by FBI for allegedly helping undocumented immigrant 'evade arrest'

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.

She asked one of the officers if they had a judicial warrant and was told that the warrant was instead administrative. After a back-and-forth over the warrant, the affidavit says, she demanded that the arrest team speak with the chief judge and led them away from the courtroom.

After directing the arrest team to the chief judge’s office, investigators say Dugan returned to the courtroom was and was heard saying words to the effect of “wait, come with me” before ushering Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer through a jury door 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.”

Dugan’s arrest comes amid a growing feud between the Trump administration and the judiciary over the president’s executive actions on immigration and other matters. Trump administration officials have sharply criticized what they have described as “activist” judges they say claim have overstepped their authority and unfairly impinged on the president’s executive powers by blocking many of his efforts.

That prosecution sparked outrage from many in the legal community, who slammed the case as politically motivated. Prosecutors dropped the case against Newton District Judge Shelley Joseph 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.

The Justice Department had previously signaled that it was going to crack down on local officials who thwart federal immigration efforts.

The department in January ordered prosecutors to investigate for potential criminal charges any 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.

“No one is above the law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post Friday.

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.

FBI Director Kash Patel posted and later deleted a tweet about the arrest.

"Just NOW, the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on charges of obstruction — after evidence of Judge Dugan obstructing an immigration arrest operation last week," Patel wrote. "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."

Multiple Milwaukee County judges confirmed that the arrest took place at the courthouse. Chief Judge Carl Ashley confirmed the incident in an email to courthouse officials.

That arrest marked at least the third time in recent months that federal immigration agents have come to the courthouse with arrest warrants. In March and early April, two people were arrested by ICE officials in the hallways of the courthouse.

Franklyn Gimbel, a prominent Milwaukee defense attorney and former federal prosecutor, called Dugan’s arrest “outrageous.”

“First and foremost, I know -- as a former federal prosecutor and as a defense lawyer for decades – that a person who is a judge, who has a residence who has no problem being found, should not be arrested, if you will, like some common criminal,” Gimbel said. “And I'm shocked and surprised that the US Attorney's office or the FBI would not have invited her to show up and accept process if they're going to charge her with a crime.”

He said that typically someone who is “not on the run,” and facing this type of crime would be called and invited to come in to have their fingerprints taken or to schedule a court appearance.

He said law enforcement showing up to arrest her, “very, very outrageous, in my opinion and not professional.”

The report notes a similar criminal case from the first Trump administration — which was eventually dropped:

During the first Trump administration in 2019, federal prosecutors charged Massachusetts judge Shelley Joseph with obstruction of justice after she allegedly allowed a defendant to leave the building through a rear door and evade ICE. She faced up to 25 years in prison. The federal charges were dropped in 2022. Instead, the Massachusetts Judicial Conduct Commission charged Joseph with misconduct in 2024, arguing that she gave a “reasonable impression” that she allowed the defendant to avoid ICE officers.

The Trump administration has clashed with judges at all levels over immigration policies and enforcement since Inauguration Day, but Dugan's arrest marks a significant shift in tensions between the justice system and the Executive branch.

Trump campaigned on a hard-line immigration stance, pledging to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history. In the initial months of his presidency, his administration has deported around 100,000 illegal immigrants, many following his invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which grants the president authority to deport non-citizens without appearing before a judge, among other wartime authorities.

Milwaukee County Judge Marisabel Cabrera, in an email to other justices shared by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "My understanding is that the warrant presented was an ICE administrative warrant.

"If the proposed protocol is to accept these warrants, I find it problematic. In effect, the protocol seems to merely facilitate ICE arrests in a manner that is quiet and least disruptive to us. On the other hand, the protocol gives the illusion to the general public that steps are being taken in the courthouse to prevent ICE overreach.

"In a time where we are seeing that ICE has made grave errors in arrests, are actively making false allegations, and blatantly violating the U.S. Constitution, I have serious concerns about publicly giving the appearance that the protocol is somehow making it safe for folks to come to court when in fact they may still be arrested by ICE and deported to a brutal detention center in El Salvador."

Democratic lawmakers reacted with ferocity — and some Republicans with cheers — to the Friday arrest of Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan for allegedly helping an undocumented defendant avoid arrest by ICE agents.

To Democrats, the arrest marks a significant escalation in President Trump's efforts to consolidate power and use federal law enforcement to crush legal obstacles to his agenda.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wisc.) told Axios, "It is abundantly clear that many activist judges around the country have been acting politically in order to sabotage President Trump's agenda, and disenfranchise the 77 million Americans that voted for him."

Sources:

Congress erupts over FBI arrest of Wisconsin judge
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/25/fbi-arrest-judge-hannah-dugan-wisconsin-congress

FBI Arrests Judge Over Immigration Case
https://www.newsweek.com/fbi-arrests-judge-over-immigration-case-2064204

Trump Admin Sends Judge Paula Xinis Files After Sharp Rebuke
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-admin-sends-judge-paula-xinis-files-kilmar-abrego-garcia-2063000

Trump’s Feds Arrest Judge Hannah Dugan for Obstructing ICE
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/fbi-arrests-milwaukee-wisconsin-judge-hannah-dugan-ice-updates.html

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan charged with 2 felonies in ICE case
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/breaking/2025/04/25/milwaukee-county-judge-hannah-dugan-arrested-by-feds-at-courthouse/83270885007/

Judge Hannah Dugan arrested by FBI for allegedly helping undocumented immigrant 'evade arrest'
https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-hannah-dugan-arrested-fbi-allegedly-helping-undocumented/story?id=121161497

Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan is accused of helping a man evade immigration agents and is arrested
https://apnews.com/article/immigration-judge-arrested-7997186bbca5730e70a25f2347e631f6

FBI's complaint against Judge Hannah Dugan PDF Link:
https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25919059/fbis-complaint-against-judge-hannah-dugan.pdf

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