A federal grand jury has indicted Hannah Dugan, a county circuit court judge in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, accused of assisting an undocumented immigrant in evading federal authorities. The indictment, announced on Tuesday, includes charges of concealing a person from arrest and obstruction of proceedings.
Dugan was arrested at her courthouse in April, triggering significant public protests and political pushback, particularly from Democratic lawmakers who view her arrest as part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration against local authorities resisting strict immigration enforcement. Senator Bernie Sanders commented that the case demonstrates a troubling shift towards authoritarianism by the Trump administration, emphasizing that the charges against Dugan are politically motivated rather than genuinely focused on immigration violations.
According to the prosecution, Dugan helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who had illegally re-entered the U.S. after being deported in 2013, escape arrest by guiding him and his lawyer out of a back door in the courthouse just as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrived to detain him. Court documents indicate Dugan’s reaction to the agents’ presence was one of anger, describing the situation as “absurd.”
If convicted on both charges, Dugan faces a maximum sentence of six years in prison. Nevertheless, her legal team expressed confidence in her innocence and her eagerness to be vindicated in court. Dugan’s case mirrors previous legal actions taken against judges during the Trump administration, including a notable case against a Massachusetts judge accused of similar conduct; that case was ultimately dismissed.
Additionally, following her arrest, Wisconsin’s state supreme court suspended her from her judicial position to maintain integrity in the judiciary, with a reserve judge appointed in her place as the case proceeds. Dugan is scheduled to enter her plea on Thursday, as tensions surrounding immigration enforcement continue to be a contentious issue across the country.
This situation highlights ongoing conflicts between federal immigration policies and local jurisdiction, with cases like Dugan’s underscoring the difficult decisions faced by judges who aim to navigate these complex legal waters.