Judge Arrested by Federal Agents After Allegedly Aiding Illegal Alien

On Friday morning, federal agents took Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan into custody.

The 65-year-old judge faces two felony charges after allegedly assisting an undocumented immigrant in evading arrest within her courtroom, according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“Brady McCarron, spokesman for U.S. Marshals Service in Washington, D.C., said Dugan is being charged with two federal felony counts: obstruction and concealing an individual. McCarron also confirmed Dugan was arrested at about 8 a.m. at the Milwaukee County Courthouse,” the outlet reported.

FBI Director Kash Patel addressed the situation on X, stating, “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.”

The agency believes 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.”

While officials have not publicly named the individual Dugan allegedly aided, the Sentinel reported that Flores-Ruiz, 30, appeared in her courtroom on April 18 for a pre-trial hearing.

ICE records show Flores-Ruiz is now held at a detention facility in Juneau, Wisconsin.

He is currently facing three misdemeanor battery charges, each with domestic violence modifiers, which could lead to more severe penalties if found guilty.

“Each of the three Class A misdemeanors has a maximum penalty of nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine,” according to the Sentinel.

Judge Dugan was first elected to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court in 2016 and secured re-election in 2022. Her current term is set to expire in 2028, per Ballotpedia.

She initially defeated then-incumbent Judge Paul Rifelj, who had been appointed by Republican Governor Scott Walker in late 2015.

The New York Post reported that Dugan made her initial appearance in federal court on Friday and was released without needing to post bail.

Her defense attorney, Craig Mastantuono, stated during the hearing: “Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety.”

The judge did not speak to reporters after exiting the courthouse.