Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan is indicted on accusations she helped a man
evade immigration agents
[May 14, 2025]
By TODD RICHMOND
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal grand jury indicted a Wisconsin judge
Tuesday on charges she helped a man in the country illegally evade U.S.
immigration authorities looking to arrest him as he appeared before her
in a local domestic abuse case.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan's arrest and ensuing
indictment has escalated a clash between President Donald Trump’s
administration and local authorities over the Republican’s sweeping
immigration crackdown. Democrats have accused the Trump administration
of trying to make a national example of Dugan to chill judicial
opposition to the crackdown.
Prosecutors charged Dugan in April via complaint with concealing an
individual to prevent arrest and obstruction. In the federal criminal
justice system, prosecutors can initiate charges against a defendant
directly by filing a complaint or present evidence to a grand jury and
let that body decide whether to issue charges.
A grand jury still reviews charges brought by complaint to determine
whether enough probable cause exists to continue the case as a check on
prosecutors’ power. If the grand jury determines there’s probable cause,
it issues a written statement of the charges known as an indictment.
That’s what happened in Dugan’s case.
Dugan faces up to six years in prison if she's convicted on both counts.
Her team of defense attorneys responded to the indictment with a
one-sentence statement saying that she maintains her innocence and looks
forward to being vindicated in court. She was scheduled to enter a plea
on Thursday.
Kenneth Gales, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office in
Milwaukee, declined to comment on the indictment Tuesday evening.
Dugan's case is similar to one brought during the first Trump
administration against a Massachusetts judge, who was accused of helping
a man sneak out a courthouse back door to evade a waiting immigration
enforcement agent. That case was eventually dismissed.
Prosecutors say Dugan escorted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer out of
her courtroom through a back jury door on April 18 after learning that
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were in the courthouse
seeking his arrest.
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A sign is posted outside of county Judge Hannah Dugan's courtroom at
the Milwaukee County courthouse, April 25, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP
Photo/Andy Manis, File)
According to court documents, Flores-Ruiz illegally reentered the
U.S. after being deported in 2013. Online state court records show
he was charged with three counts of misdemeanor domestic abuse in
Milwaukee County in March. He was in Dugan’s courtroom that morning
of April 18 for a hearing.
Court documents suggest Dugan was alerted to the agents’ presence by
her clerk, who was informed by an attorney that the agents appeared
to be in the hallway. An affidavit says Dugan was visibly angry over
the agents’ arrival and called the situation “absurd” before leaving
the bench and retreating to her chambers. She and another judge
later approached members of the arrest team in the courthouse with
what witnesses described as a “confrontational, angry demeanor.”
After a back-and-forth with the agents over the warrant for
Flores-Ruiz, Dugan demanded they speak with the chief judge and led
them away from the courtroom, according to the affidavit.
She then returned to the courtroom and was heard saying words to the
effect of “wait, come with me” and ushered Flores-Ruiz and his
attorney out through a back jury door typically used only by
deputies, jurors, court staff and in-custody defendants, according
to the affidavit. Flores-Ruiz was free on a signature bond in the
abuse case at the time, according to online state court records.
Federal agents ultimately captured him outside the courthouse after
a foot chase.
The state Supreme Court suspended Dugan from the bench in late
April, saying the move was necessary to preserve public confidence
in the judiciary. A reserve judge is filling in for her.
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