FBI accuses Wisconsin judge of allegedly helping humans escape immigration authorities

The FBI arrested a Wisconsin judge on Friday who was accused of helping a man escape immigration authorities, escalating the Republican president’s full immigration crackdown between Donald Trump’s administration and the judiciary.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan appeared in Federal Court on Friday before being released. Her next court appearance is May 15.

Dugan is charged with obstructing the proceedings and hiding the individual to prevent arrest.

“Judge Dugan regretted and protested her arrest with all his heart. It was not for the benefit of public safety.” After the court appeared, he refused to comment to the Associated Press reporter.

Dugan is accused of accompanying the man, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyers evacuated from court through a jury door on April 18 to help approve his arrest.

The affidavit quotes the court agent hearing Dugan’s words about the effect of “wait, come with me” and then introduces it to the non-public area of ​​the court. The affidavit says the lawsuit is unusual because “only representatives, court staff and accompanying defendants use the defendants after the jury. Defense attorneys and undetained defendants have never used the door of the jury.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said in an article that was later deleted that immigration officials have been trying to arrest Flores-Ruiz, who has been called “illegal alien.” Patel said agents later caught up with Flores-Ruiz and detained him.

The Justice Department ordered prosecutors in January to investigate potential criminal charges against state and local officials that hinder or impede federal functions. As a potential avenue for prosecution, a memorandum cites conspiracy crimes and laws prohibiting illegal possession of the people.

Legal struggles about immigration, deportation

The arrest was because Trump’s administration has fought the democratic opposition in court for about 100 days of the semester on immigration enforcement.

A federal judge has ordered the U.S. government to promote the return of two men who were not only deported back to El Salvador, but also to a harsh prison in the country – Kilmar Abrego Garcia, from El Salvador and a 20-year-old Venezuelan (Venezuelan) man who was identified as Cristian.

It also filed a lawsuit challenging the government’s use of foreign enemies in 1798 as the legal basis for certain deportations and opposes the detention of foreign-born students participating in the U.S. protests.

Additionally, a federal judge on Thursday blocked Donald Trump’s administration from withholding federal funds in 16 so-called shelter jurisdictions outside Wisconsin that all refused to work with the Republican president’s hardline immigration crackdown.

In Trump’s 2017-2021 administration, the Justice Department accused Massachusetts judge of obstructing her allegations, helping a person living in the United States sneak out of the court’s back door illegally to escape a waiting immigration law enforcement officer.

The prosecution of a current judge has sparked anger among many people in the legal community, who criticized the case for being politically motivated.

The case against Newton District Judge Shelley Joseph was dropped in 2022 under the Democratic Biden administration because she agreed to refer herself to a national agency that investigated the bench allegations.

Dugan was elected as a county court branch in 2016, according to the biography of the judicial candidate.

Before being elected to office, Dugan practiced in the legal actions of the State of Wisconsin and the Association for Legal Aid. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Arts in 1981 and received her JD from the school in 1987.