(The Center Square) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, according to a social media post from FBI Director Kash Patel.
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi wrote that the arrest was “for allegedly helping an illegal alien avoid arrest by @ICEgov.”
“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,” Patel wrote in a now-deleted post.
Patel added that more would be shared soon on the arrest.
“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.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said that Patel deleted the “unsubstantiated claims” because he sent the message before charges were filed.
“Director Patel’s statement shows that Trump’s FBI is more concerned about weaponizing federal law enforcement, punishing people without due process, and intimidating anyone who opposes those policies, than they are with seeking justice,” Crowley said in a statement.
Milwaukee Circuit Court Chief Judge Carl Ashley said in a statement that Dugan’s court calendar would be covered by another judge but the “judicial code of conduct restricts judges from commenting on pending or impending matters in any court.”
Flores-Ruiz was charged with domestic battery and abuse in Milwaukee County.
Dugan is accused of assisting Flores-Ruiz to leave the Milwaukee County Courthouse on April 18 after learning that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were present and preparing to arrest Flores-Ruiz in the hallway after his hearing that morning, according to a criminal complaint in the case.
“We have seen in recent months the president and the Trump Administration repeatedly use dangerous rhetoric to attack and attempt to undermine our judiciary at every level, including flat-out disobeying the highest court in the land and threatening to impeach and remove judges who do not rule in their favor,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement about the arrest.
“I have deep respect for the rule of law, our nation’s judiciary, the importance of judges making decisions impartially without fear or favor, and the efforts of law enforcement to hold people accountable if they commit a crime. I will continue to put my faith in our justice system as this situation plays out in the court of law.”
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin said that she was concerned about the message sent by Dugan’s arrest.
“The President’s administration arresting a sitting judge is a gravely serious and drastic move, and it threatens to breach those very separations of power,” Baldwin said in a statement. “Make no mistake, we do not have kings in this country and we are a Democracy governed by laws that everyone must abide by. By relentlessly attacking the judicial system, flouting court orders, and arresting a sitting judge, this President is putting those basic Democratic values that Wisconsinites hold dear on the line.”
Wisconsin officials including Evers came under fire this week following a report from Dan O’Donnell about a Department of Administration memo telling state employees what to do if federal or ICE agents come to their workplace.
The memo asked employees not to answer questions from a federal agent, give access to systems or information and to call the state Office of Legal Counsel.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos responded on Tuesday to the memo, saying that the state has to learn what is actually happening because “there are not ICE agents knocking on every state agency’s door wondering where their illegal immigrants are. That’s just not true.”
He called the memo a scare tactic from Democrats aimed at scaring state employees about ICE agents.
“I cannot imagine that we want to keep funding positions that people are not gonna want to cooperate with ICE,” Vos said.
Republican leadership was also concerned about the overall message sent by the memo.
“The Democrats are so far out of the mainstream on this issue that the governor probably feels like he has to virtue signal and say ‘Oh, yeah, just ignore federal law,'” said Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August, R-Walworth. “That’s dangerous, it also sends a very, very dangerous signal to illegal immigrants across the country that ‘Hey, come to Wisconsin and the state government is going to try to help you.'”
