FBI arrests Milwaukee judge Hannah Dugan, alleging she interfered in immigration operation

WASHINGTON — The FBI arrested a county judge in Milwaukee on Friday, alleging that she obstructed federal authorities who were seeking to detain an undocumented immigrant by escorting the man and his defense attorney though a nonpublic jury door.

The arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, in line with its rhetoric about going after local and state authorities on immigration-related matters. It’s also marks another step in the Trump administration’s battles with judges over federal policy.

In an appearance on Fox News on Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi used the arrest to pull in the administration’s broader, repeated criticism of judges. “What’s happening to our judiciary is beyond me,” Bondi said, before using the term “deranged.”

Dugan faces charges of obstructing or impeding a proceeding before a department or agency of the United States, as well as a charge of concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest.

A statement issued on Dugan’s behalf indicated she had hired former U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic to represent her in the case. “Judge Dugan will defend herself vigorously, and looks forward to being exonerated,” the statement said.

Dugan was arrested by the FBI at about 8:30 a.m. local time in the parking lot of the Milwaukee County Courthouse, before she entered the building, a senior law enforcement official told NBC News. She was then transferred to the custody of the U.S. Marshals, the official said.

Dugan made an appearance before a federal magistrate judge and was released on bond, with another court hearing scheduled for May 15.

The news of Dugan’s arrest broke in a post on X from FBI Director Kash Patel, which he initially deleted and then later reposted. He wrote that the bureau believed that Dugan “intentionally misdirected federal agents” when the “subject to be arrested” appeared in Dugan’s court on a separate case.

Patel said that agents “chased down the perp on foot,” but said that Dugan’s “obstruction created increased danger to the public.” Bondi, referencing Dugan on her Fox News appearance on Friday afternoon, said “shame on her” and said that the type of conduct Dugan allegedly engaged in would result in federal prosecutions.

“I cannot believe I think some of these judges think they are beyond and above the law, and they are not. And we’re sending a very strong message today, if you are harboring a fugitive, we don’t care who you are,” Bondi said.

In a statement, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin also nodded to the Trump administration’s court battles and orders from federal judges restricting administration policies.

“Since President Trump was inaugurated, activist judges have tried to obstruct President Trump and the American people’s mandate to make America safe and secure our homeland,” McLaughlin said, before calling Dugan’s alleged behavior “shocking and shameful.”

It’s not the first time the federal government under Trump has hit a local judge with federal charges alleging that they helped an undocumented immigrant avoid arrest in the course of their official duties.

In 2019, during Trump’s first term, the U.S. attorney in Boston charged a Massachusetts judge and a court officer with obstruction of justice for allegedly aiding an undocumented immigrant in leaving the courthouse through a back exit to avoid arrest.

The judge’s attempts to get the case dismissed in federal appeals court were denied. But prosecutors reached a deal to drop the charges in 2022, under then-President Joe Biden’s administration, with the case instead going to review at the state judicial commission.

Details of the Milwaukee case

FBI Agent Lindsay Schloemer, a member of the white-collar crimes squad in the bureau’s Milwaukee Field Office, wrote in an affidavit that U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement found that Eduardo Flores-Ruiz had been removed from the U.S. in 2013 and that an immigration official found probable cause to believe Flores-Ruiz was removable.

Members of ICE planned to arrest Flores-Ruiz during a court hearing in a domestic violence case before Dugan on April 18, according to the affidavit. Schloemer wrote that making arrests inside of courthouses lowers the risk to law enforcement because targets have gone through an individual screening.

Dugan was on the bench when the ICE agents appeared in the hallway, and a courtroom deputy told the FBI that Dugan became visibly angry and called the situation “absurd” when a clerk spoke with her about ICE’s presence. Dugan and another unnamed judge then confronted deportation officers in the hallway, the affidavit alleges, and Dugan asked if they had a judicial warrant.

“No, I have an administrative warrant,” one of the agents replied, according to the affidavit. Dugan then “demanded” that the agent speak with the chief judge while members of the arrest team were in the chief judge’s chambers, the complaint states.

Dugan then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a jury door, the government alleges. But the ICE team was able to make the arrest after a foot chase.

An arrest record from the Milwaukee Police Department shows that Flores-Ruiz was arrested in March after a dispute involving three other roommates, when Flores-Ruiz allegedly struck one of the roommates in the body and face after a dispute over loud music.

The complainant stated that Flores-Ruiz put his hands around the roommate’s neck for about six seconds. Two other roommates stated that Flores-Ruiz struck them when they tried to break up the fight, with one stating he struck them in the head multiple times and another stating he elbowed them in the upper arm.

Two of those roommates, a 43-year-old female and 39-year-old male, an unmarried couple, said Flores-Ruiz had attacked them in their Milwaukee home in March and they were in the courtroom to testify last week.

The pair, who wished to remain anonymous to protect their safety, told NBC News on Friday that they weren’t certain what was happening when Flores-Ruiz was ushered out of the courtroom. 

The pair said they hope Flores-Ruiz will be held accountable for the alleged attack. The former roommates did not clearly indicate whether they want Flores-Ruiz to be deported and did not take a position on the judge’s alleged actions.

The deputy court clerk for Dugan told NBC News that they could not comment on the arrest. In a statement, the chief judge of the court, Carl Ashley, said that the “judicial code of conduct restricts judges from commenting on pending or impending matters in any court. Judge Dugan’s court calendar will be covered by another judge as needed.”