In a significant legal development, a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge, Hannah Dugan, was arrested on Friday on charges of obstruction. This action was taken by federal agents who allege that she interfered with an immigration-related arrest. The arrest occurred within the premises of the county courthouse, and as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dugan is currently in federal custody.

Kash Patel, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made a public statement regarding Dugans arrest on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), but he has since removed the post.

The arrest of Judge Dugan follows shortly after another arrest involving a former judge from New Mexico. On Thursday, federal agents detained Joel Cano, the former Doa Ana County Magistrate Judge, and his wife, Nancy Cano, at their home. They face serious charges including evidence tampering and harboring an alleged member of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. This gang has been linked to numerous violent crimes, and the government has faced scrutiny for using questionable evidence, such as harmless tattoos, to label Venezuelan migrants as gang members, effectively subjecting them to deportation to brutal prisons in El Salvador.

Details surrounding the recent arrests remain scarce, but they suggest a potential escalation of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration. The administration appears to be targeting not only undocumented immigrants but also individuals who provide assistance to them. This is part of a broader pattern observed under Trumps Department of Justice, which critics argue is using legal actions as a means to retaliate against opponents while favoring political allies. Evidence of this behavior can be seen in the controversial decision to drop a corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, as well as a recent directive ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate ActBlue, a platform for Democratic donations.

In addition to judicial actions, the administration has also targeted religious organizations dedicated to aiding immigrants and refugees. Notably, groups like Catholic Charities and the Lutheran organization Global Refuge have been scrutinized. Elon Musk recently made unsubstantiated claims of money laundering against Global Refuge, advocating for his newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cease all illegal payments to the organization.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel further reports that the individual Dugan is accused of assisting in evading immigration authorities is believed to be Eduardo Flores Ruiz, a Mexican immigrant who appeared in her courtroom on April 18. Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrived at the courthouse to arrest Flores Ruiz, who was facing three misdemeanor battery charges. It is alleged that Judge Dugan directed Flores Ruiz and his attorney to exit through a side door, guiding them away from immigration agents who were in the courthouse to execute the arrest.

In a now-deleted post, Patel stated, Just NOW, the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on charges of obstruction after evidence of Judge Dugan obstructing an immigration arrest operation last week. He continued, 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.

Historically, ICE agents have been restricted from executing arrests in courthouses and other sensitive locations, such as hospitals, schools, and houses of worship. This policy was rescinded by Trump during his first term, but was reinstated by President Biden. However, should Trump take office again in 2025, it is expected he will once again dismantle the sensitive locations policy.

This is not the first time a sitting judge has faced charges for allegedly obstructing justice in relation to immigration enforcement. In 2019, Massachusetts judge Shelley Joseph was similarly charged with obstruction for allegedly allowing an immigrant to leave her courtroom through a side door to evade ICE agents. Although she faced up to 25 years in prison, the charges against her were ultimately dropped in 2022.