Grand Jury Indicts Milwaukee Judge For Allegedly Helping Illegal Evade ICE
In a move signaling renewed commitment to the rule of law, a federal grand jury indicted Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan on Tuesday after she was arrested last month for allegedly helping an illegal immigrant evade federal law enforcement.
Dugan, who presides in Milwaukee County, was taken into custody on April 25 and charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, as well as with concealing an individual to prevent discovery and arrest, according to a criminal complaint. The indictment comes amid mounting evidence that Dugan actively intervened to shield a deported illegal immigrant from federal agents inside her courtroom.
As reported by Fox News, the indictment follows grand jury testimony that painted a troubling picture: a sitting judge allegedly using her position to obstruct justice and undermine immigration enforcement efforts.
The grand jury convened Tuesday to review the case in depth, hearing testimony from multiple witnesses, including Dugan’s own court clerk and Milwaukee County Judge Kristela Cervera, whose courtroom sits adjacent to Dugan’s. Among those who testified was the former attorney of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, the illegal immigrant at the center of the case. That attorney has since withdrawn from representing Flores-Ruiz.
Dugan’s legal team continues to maintain her innocence. “As she said after her unnecessary arrest, Judge Dugan asserts her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court,” her attorneys told Fox News.
Judge Dugan is scheduled to appear in federal court Thursday, where she will face formal charges of felony obstruction of a federal agency and misdemeanor concealment of a person to prevent arrest. A plea is expected at that hearing.
According to federal authorities, Dugan is accused of physically hiding Flores-Ruiz—who had been deported previously—in a jury deliberation room following a court hearing on April 18. Flores-Ruiz had been in court to face multiple misdemeanor battery charges tied to a brutal assault on two individuals.
Agents from ICE, the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, and the DEA were present to apprehend Flores-Ruiz after his hearing. Rather than cooperate, Dugan reportedly directed agents to the chief judge’s office and secretly ushered Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out through a restricted door, bypassing law enforcement waiting in the public corridor.
Craig Mastantuono, Dugan’s attorney, downplayed the arrest as unnecessary. “Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety,” he claimed.
The decision to indict drew praise from key figures in the fight for secure borders and the enforcement of immigration laws. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem applauded the grand jury's move during an interview with Jesse Watters on Tuesday.
“She will be held accountable for that,” Noem declared. “That was a great decision, coming forward, to recognize that nobody can facilitate breaking the law. We shouldn’t be able to allow that in this country, and we need to make sure that even judges are held accountable for their actions.”
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed that sentiment, expressing disbelief that a member of the judiciary would interfere with a criminal case involving domestic violence.
“We could not believe that a judge really did that,” Bondi said. “You cannot obstruct a criminal case. And really, shame on her. It was a domestic violence case of all cases, and she’s protecting a criminal defendant over victims of crime.”
Bondi went on to detail the severity of the allegations against Flores-Ruiz, who reportedly assaulted two victims. “[He] beat the guy, hit the guy 30 times, knocked him to the ground, choked him, beat up a woman so badly; they both had to go to the hospital,” she said.
In a separate but related development last month, former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, were arrested in Las Cruces, New Mexico, during a federal raid. The couple faces charges of evidence tampering after allegedly harboring Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, a suspected illegal immigrant affiliated with Venezuela’s violent Tren de Aragua gang.
JUST IN: New Mexico judge Joel Cano and his wife have been arrested after they were caught housing an alleged Tren de Aragua member.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 24, 2025
Cano recently resigned after authorities arrested 23-year-old Cristhian Ortega-Lopez.
"The home of a former judge in Las Cruces was raided… pic.twitter.com/RjoZVD7LrA
As President Donald Trump continues to lead the fight for strong borders and law and order, these cases serve as stark reminders that even those in black robes are not above the law. In America, no one is permitted to shield lawbreakers from accountability—especially not from inside a courtroom.