FBI Slaps Cuffs on Judge Caught Red-Handed Helping Illegal Evade ICE Arrest

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday for allegedly helping illegal immigrant Eduardo Flores-Ruiz evade ICE arrest, highlighting the growing threat of activist judges undermining federal law enforcement and President Trump’s immigration policies.

The judge faces two federal charges: obstructing a U.S. proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent arrest, which carry a potential six-year prison sentence.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest on X, stating, “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.”

According to the criminal complaint, on April 18, Dugan, visibly angry upon learning ICE officers were in her courtroom, confronted them and questioned their administrative warrant.

She then allegedly escorted Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national facing misdemeanor battery charges and subject to a 2013 Expedited Removal order, through a non-public “jury door” to avoid arrest.

Flores-Ruiz briefly fled, but was apprehended by FBI and DEA agents outside the courthouse.

Judge Dugan’s attorney, Craig Mastantuono, defended her in court, contending, “Judge Dugan wholeheartedly protests the arrest and believes it was not made in the interests of public safety.”

Dugan, a former Milwaukee Bar Association president with a history of progressive activism, was released on her own recognizance after a brief federal court appearance.

This incident is not isolated.

 Activist judges have repeatedly targeted Trump administration policies, weaponizing the judiciary to obstruct federal immigration enforcement.

In 2019, Massachusetts Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph was charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant avoid ICE agents in her courthouse.

Though suspended for three years, her charges were dropped in 2022 under the Biden administration, signaling leniency toward judicial overreach.

Similarly, in 2017, Oregon Judge Monica Herranz faced scrutiny for allegedly allowing an undocumented defendant to exit through a private courthouse door to evade ICE, though no federal charges were filed.

These cases underscore a broader pattern of judicial resistance to Trump’s immigration agenda, endangering both public safety and the authority of federal law.

As crimes by illegal migrants rise, such judicial activism threatens to erode the rule of law, emboldening defiance of immigration enforcement critical to national security.

Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, chief judge of Washington’s federal court, escalated tensions with the Trump administration by threatening criminal contempt charges over immigration enforcement.

Boasberg accused officials of violating his order by deporting detainees to an El Salvador prison under the Alien Enemies Act. He claimed the administration rushed deportations to bypass court challenges, stating, “The Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders — especially by officials of a coordinate branch who have sworn an oath to uphold it.”

The federal judge warned he could refer the matter for prosecution or appoint an attorney if the Justice Department refuses to act, a move Trump has called grounds for impeachment.

The pattern of activist judges—Dugan, Joseph, Boasberg, and others—points to a troubling trend: a judicial coup undermining the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution.

These cases reveal a troubling pattern that extends beyond immigration: a judiciary seemingly weaponized to undermine the executive branch’s constitutional authority, particularly the Trump administration’s America First policies.

The January 6, 2021, Capitol riot prosecutions saw a 99% conviction rate, with over 1,500 defendants charged, many facing severe sentences for non-violent misdemeanor offenses, reflecting judicial alignment with establishment narratives against Trump supporters.

Trump himself faced 92 felony counts across multiple cases — charges that, if convicted, could have led to decades in prison, even before returning to the presidency. These legal assaults, often led by judges appointed by Democratic administrations, suggest a coordinated effort to neutralize Trump’s political influence through judicial fiat.

Such actions signal a judicial coup, where unelected judges wield unchecked power to thwart democratic mandates, threatening the constitutional order and the will of the American people.