The FBI arrested a Wisconsin judge on Friday for allegedly hiding an illegal immigrant in her courthouse, allowing him to evade immigration authorities.
Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan was under investigation after allegations that she hid Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal immigrant who was facing charges for endangering safety, reckless use of a firearm, use of a dangerous weapon, and cocaine possession.
Assistant News Director for Florida’s Voice reported on X that Dugan was “taken into custody by the FBI.” FBI Director Kash Patel issued a statement saying, “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.”
🚨 MASSIVE BREAKING: FBI under Kash Patel ARRESTS an activist judge for obstructing an IMMIGRATION ARREST.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 25, 2025
Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan has been taken into custody by the FBI.
PATEL: "We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be… pic.twitter.com/LYU7FqkvLO
Chief Judge Carl Ashley sent an email to his colleagues explaining that when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrived at the courthouse to take custody of Flores-Ruiz, “They were asked whether they had a warrant, and the agents presented the warrant as well as their identification,” according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Sources told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Dugan directed the agents to Ashley’s office. At that time, she allegedly allowed the illegal immigrant to flee the courtroom through a side door into a public area.
Judge Dugan allegedly contradicted this. “As a point of clarification below, a warrant was not presented in the hallway on the 6th floor,” she wrote.
Republican state Rep. Bob Donovan condemned the judge’s conduct, saying, “This borders on obstruction of justice.”
Some legal experts have expressed concerns about the FBI’s investigation into Judge Dugan’s conduct.
Based on the available details, Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School and a former federal prosecutor, said she believes Dugan's actions are problematic but not necessarily criminal.
If there is evidence Dugan intended to help the defendant evade arrest, that may cross the line into a criminal act, Levenson said.
But it's also possible the judge had a different reason for allowing the defendant to leave through another door, and "no one should jump at the assumption" that it was an obstruction of justice, Levenson said.
Levenson said a better practice is for courts to issue clear protocols for these situations so judges know what to do.
Attorney Stephen Kravit, a former federal prosecutor, said that the state would need to prove Dugan intended to violate immigration law. Indeed, such a case is not unprecedented.
During the first Trump administration in 2019, federal prosecutors charged Massachusetts judge Shelley Joseph with obstruction of justice after she allegedly allowed a defendant to leave the building through a rear door and evade ICE. She faced up to 25 years in prison.
The federal charges were dropped in 2022. Instead, the Massachusetts Judicial Conduct Commission charged Joseph with misconduct in 2024, arguing that she gave a "reasonable impression" that she allowed the defendant to avoid ICE officers.
This comes after federal authorities arrested a New Mexico judge and his wife for harboring an illegal immigrant and suspected member of the Tren de Aragua street gang in his home.