A Wisconsin judge has been detained by federal agents on suspicion of obstructing immigration officials, which is adding to the White House’s ongoing legal battle with the White House.
The judge was detained on Friday for allegedly assisting an undocumented immigrant evade federal agents, according to director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Kash Patel.
The US Department of Justice alleged in a criminal complaint that Milwaukee County circuit judge Hannah Dugan attempted to help the man evade arrest by allowing him to leave through a jury door.
The Judge’s obstructive action increased the public’s risk, Patel said, despite the fact that our agents had chased down the perp [undocumented migrant] on foot and he’s been in custody ever since.
Immigration officials arrived to arrest Flores-Ruiz in her court after Judge Dugan’s accusations of being “visibly angry,” the Justice Department said, and called the move “absurd.”
According to records, Dugan made a brief appearance in Milwaukee federal court on charges of obstructing a proceeding and hiding a person to deter an arrest. She was freed, and she will make a plea deal on May 15. A crowd gathered outside the court and chanted, “Free the Judge Now!”
After the hearing, Dugan exited the court through a side door and was later driven away in a dark SUV.
According to advocates for immigration and legal rights, people without legal status may be less inclined to testify in court about crimes in places like courts, where they can conduct immigration enforcement operations.
Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social media that “no one is above the law.”
Due to several rulings that restrict the Trump administration’s aggressive use of presidential power in immigration and other matters, the Trump administration has been engaged in an ever-increasing conflict with federal judges. In that dispute, state courts have not had much of an impact.
Before the federal court’s hearing against Dugan, Patel deleted the post he had made after making it public on social media.
According to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Director Patel’s statement reveals that Trump’s FBI is more interested in stifling federal law enforcement, punishing those who oppose those laws, and intimidating those who oppose them, than it is in pursuing justice.
After taking office in January, Trump reintroduced a comprehensive immigration crackdown, and the Justice Department has mandated that local authorities who stifle the investigation file criminally.
