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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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An elected judge has been found guilty of obstructing federal agents waiting in a corridor to arrest a migrant described by the Department of Homeland Security as "a violent criminal illegal alien," who was appearing in her courtroom.
A federal jury on Thursday agreed with prosecutors that Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah C. Dugan misdirected ICE agents and helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz evade them, during an immigration enforcement action earlier this year.
But Dugan was acquitted in Milwaukee's U.S. District Court on a related misdemeanor count of concealment on April 18.
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Dugan's legal defense team told Newsweek in a statement: “While we are disappointed in today’s outcome, the failure of the prosecution to secure convictions on both counts demonstrates the opportunity we have to clear Judge Dugan’s name and show she did nothing wrong in this matter. We have planned for this potential outcome and our defense of Judge Dugan is just beginning. This trial required considerable resources to prepare for and public support for Judge Dugan’s defense fund is critical as we prepare for the next phase of this defense.”
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Why It Matters
It marks a rare and unusual criminal conviction of a sitting state judge and highlights the expanding reach of federal immigration enforcement into local court systems. It's a win for President Donald Trump as his government continues a sweeping immigration crackdown nationwide, including conducting mass deportations and aggressive enforcement actions in courthouses and other public institutions.
What To Know
Prosecutors told the jury that Dugan knowingly misdirected the agents and then helped Flores-Ruiz and his attorney leave the courtroom through a nonpublic "jury door," creating a brief opportunity for him to evade arrest.
Flores-Ruiz was eventually taken into custody outside the courthouse following a short foot chase and was later deported.
During the trial, federal authorities presented evidence, including audio recordings, suggesting Dugan confronted the agents, questioned the validity of their warrant, and diverted them before arranging for Flores-Ruiz’s exit through the alternate door.
Her defense attorneys argued that she was following draft courthouse protocols for handling immigration arrests and had no corrupt intent.
The jury, composed of seven men and five women, was selected from a pool of residents across 12 Wisconsin counties and deliberated for six hours, The New York Times reported.
Judge Dugan, 66, has been on administrative leave since April and has continued to receive her $174,000 annual salary, according to the Times. She was temporarily removed from the bench by the Wisconsin Supreme Court while the case proceeded through the courts.
According to the Department of Homeland Security: "Flores-Ruiz entered the U.S. illegally in 2013 and was arrested by Border Patrol in Nogales, Arizona and was removed to Mexico. He chose to commit a felony by illegally reentering the U.S. at an unknown date and time."
Violent criminal charges against him included strangulation and suffocation, battery, and domestic abuse, according to a department statement which added: "ICE removed this criminal on November 13, 2025."
What People Are Saying
Defense attorney Jason Luczak said in court: "She never acted corruptly in doing her job as a judge in the middle of a stressful, new and confusing situation."
U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel said: "While this case is serious for all involved, it is ultimately about a single day, a single bad day, in a public courthouse. The defendant is certainly not evil. Nor is she a martyr for some greater cause."
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote in a post on X: "Former Wisconsin State Judge Hannah Dugan betrayed her oath and the people she served when she obstructed federal law enforcement during an immigration enforcement operation. Today, a federal jury of her peers found her guilty and sent a clear message: the American people respect law and order. Nobody is above the law. This Department will not tolerate obstruction, will enforce federal immigration law, and will hold criminals to account—even those who wear robes."
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “ Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a previously removed illegal alien has a laundry list of violent criminal charges, including strangulation and suffocation, battery, and domestic abuse. Judge Hannah Dugan's actions to obstruct this violent criminal’s arrest take 'activist judge' to a whole new meaning. Thanks to the brave men and women of ICE law enforcement, this criminal is OUT of our country. If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you, and remove you from our country. That's a promise."
What Happens Next
The obstruction conviction carries a potential prison term of up to five years; a sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Under Wisconsin law, a felony conviction also bars Dugan from holding judicial office, and she has been suspended from her duties since her initial arrest in April.
Update 12/19/25, 12:31 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Dugan's legal defense team.
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