MILWAUKEE– Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested Friday morning by the FBI and now faces federal obstruction charges following an alleged attempt to interfere with an immigration arrest at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
According to now-deleted post from FBI Director Kash Patel, the charges stem from an April 18 incident involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Federal agents were attempting to detain Eduardo Flores Ruiz, a Mexican citizen, after a court appearance. Authorities say Judge Dugan mislead agents during the operation, allowing Ruiz to briefly evade custody. He was later apprehended nearby.
Judge Dugan, who has served on the Milwaukee County bench for nine years, is charged with obstruction of a federal proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent arrest.
In response to her arrest, a group of protestors gathered outside the Federal Courthouse in Downtown Milwaukee. The demonstration drew several local leaders, including State Senator Chris Larson, State Representative Christine Sinicki, Alderwomen Mariana Dimitrijevic & JoCasta Zamarripa, and Maxwell Love, Political Director for the Wisconsin Working Families Party.
Maxwell Love spoke to the public outside of the Federal Courthouse raising concerns for justice and equality. Love’s view of the Trump Administration‘s actions are deemed as an “intimidation tactic” that he believes will spread not only in Wisconsin, but a message to the entire country.
Maxwell Love says, “Judge ​Dugan ​is ​the ​first ​local ​elected ​who’s ​been ​targeted ​by ​the ​Trump ​administration. ​And ​what ​happened ​this ​morning ​was ​direct. ​FBI ​Director ​Kash ​Patel ​put ​up ​a ​tweet ​saying ​that ​they ​were ​going ​after ​her, ​and ​he ​immediately ​took ​it ​down ​because ​he ​knows ​that ​people ​are ​going ​to ​show ​up ​and ​protest ​this. ​Trump ​administration ​is ​trying ​to ​strike ​fear ​in ​the ​heart ​of ​local ​elected ​officials ​who ​are ​defending ​our ​immigrant ​communities. ​And ​that’s ​absolutely ​not ​okay. ​So ​we’re ​here ​today ​to ​say ​that ​we ​will ​not ​rest ​until ​Judge ​Dugan ​these ​charges ​are ​dropped ​and ​that ​the ​Trump ​administration ​admits ​the ​mistake ​that ​they ​made. ​Just ​like ​Kash ​Patel ​took ​that ​tweet ​down ​this ​morning…. I ​think ​these ​charges ​are ​going ​to ​get ​dropped. ​Absolutely. ​I ​think ​she’s ​got ​the ​best ​lawyers. ​She’s ​a ​judge, ​she’s ​a ​reputable ​person. ​And ​these ​charges ​are ​going ​to ​get ​dropped.”
State Representative Christine Sinicki, Alderwomen Mariana Dimitrijevic & JoCasta Zamarripa arrived shortly after to spread their concerns as well.
Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic explains her concern for Judge Dugan:
“Elected ​leaders, ​friends, ​labor ​organizations, ​you ​name ​it. ​The ​city ​of ​Milwaukee ​will ​not ​run ​business ​like ​this. ​Everyone ​is ​welcome ​in ​the ​city ​of ​Milwaukee ​at ​all ​times. ​We ​will ​create ​safe ​spaces, ​and ​we ​will ​not ​be ​intimidated. ​We ​will ​not ​rest ​until ​she ​has ​seen ​full ​due ​process, ​the ​right ​that ​everyone ​is ​entitled ​to ​all ​the ​time. ​Not ​just ​sometimes, ​all ​the ​time.  ​So ​once ​again, ​she ​deserves ​due ​process. ​So ​do ​the ​people ​that ​she ​might ​have ​been ​protecting. ​Everyone. ​It’s ​a ​human ​right, ​is ​due ​process. ​​Number ​two. ​We ​will ​not ​be ​intimidated. ​Not ​now, ​not ​ever. Your ​intimidation ​tactics ​do ​not ​work ​in ​the ​city ​of ​Milwaukee. ​They ​don’t ​work ​now, ​and ​they ​won’t ​work ​later. ​So ​you ​have ​elected ​officials ​saying ​that ​we ​have ​your ​back ​today, ​tomorrow, ​and ​the ​next ​day. We ​are ​very ​concerned. ​It ​does ​not ​make ​the ​city ​or ​county ​safer ​when ​people ​don’t ​feel ​safe ​and ​they ​have ​to ​hide ​in ​the ​shadows. ​We ​need ​people ​to ​be ​able ​to ​seek ​justice, ​to ​be ​able ​to ​go ​to ​the ​library, ​the ​Health ​department, ​school, ​church, ​live ​their ​lives ​not ​in ​shadows. ​That ​is ​not ​how ​a ​democratic ​society ​is ​run. ​And ​it ​does ​not ​make ​a ​safer ​city ​for ​anyone.”
State Representative Christine Sinicki:
“This ​is ​clearly ​intimidation ​trying ​to ​scare ​people. ​And ​my ​question ​is, ​if ​they ​can ​walk ​into ​a ​courthouse ​and ​arrest ​a ​sitting ​judge, ​what ​can ​happen ​to ​the ​rest ​of ​us ​that ​are ​pushing ​back ​on ​the ​Trump ​agenda? ​People ​are ​scared. ​People ​are ​really ​scared. ​And ​this ​just ​makes ​things ​worse. ​Hannah ​Dugan ​did ​what ​was ​morally ​right, ​protecting ​somebody. To ​have ​her ​arrested ​is ​unprecedented.”
Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa:
“​This ​is ​clearly ​an ​intimidation ​tactic. This ​is ​to ​send ​a ​message ​to ​elected ​leaders, ​to ​community ​leaders that ​they ​better ​not ​stick ​their ​neck ​out ​and ​help ​an ​immigrant ​neighbor ​of ​theirs. ​They ​had ​better ​keep ​their ​head ​down ​and ​let ​President ​Trump ​pick ​off ​immigrants ​indiscriminately. ​We ​are ​here ​today ​to ​implore ​our ​elected ​leader ​colleagues ​to ​implore ​community ​leaders ​to ​stand ​with ​us ​and ​stand ​in ​with ​Wisconsinites, ​with ​immigrant ​Wisconsinites, with ​all ​immigrants ​across ​Milwaukee ​and ​beyond, ​because ​this ​is ​unbelievable. ​I ​cannot. ​I’m ​shocked ​that ​we ​would, ​that ​the ​federal ​government ​would ​do ​this ​unprecedented ​movement ​of ​going ​into ​the ​judicial ​branch ​and ​basically ​giving ​Judge ​Dugan ​no ​due ​process.
State Senator Chris Larson was also among those who showed up to the protest to voice concern. Senator Larson showed extreme disappointment when discussing his thoughts on the Judge Dugan arrest.
“You ​are ​supposed ​to ​have ​independence ​between ​how ​the ​FBI ​operates ​in ​our ​country,” Senator Chris Larson explains.
“It is ​something ​that ​has ​clearly ​been ​understood. ​It’s ​been ​tested ​by ​presidents ​in ​the ​past, ​famously ​the ​Nixon ​administration, ​where ​he ​declared ​that ​if ​the ​President ​does ​it, ​it’s ​not ​illegal. ​Where ​they ​would ​use ​the ​law ​and ​use ​the ​FBI ​to ​try ​to,​or ​frankly, ​to ​try ​to ​erase ​that ​line, ​to ​try ​and ​intimidate citizens ​and ​try ​to ​be ​able ​to ​use ​it ​for ​their ​own ​political ​good. ​Even ​hints ​at ​that. ​You ​can ​remember ​years ​ago ​where ​there ​was ​worry,​that ​even ​during ​the ​administration ​that, planes ​were ​parked ​close ​to ​each ​other ​and ​Bill ​Clinton ​talked ​to ​the, ​Attorney ​General ​and ​there ​was ​a ​question. ​Oh, ​my ​gosh, ​they ​talked. ​In ​this ​case, ​the ​fact ​that ​Kash ​Patel, ​the ​sitting ​FBI ​Director, ​decreed ​via, ​Twitter, ​that ​this ​arrest ​had ​happened. ​And ​that ​is ​the ​first ​alert ​that ​most ​people ​found ​out ​about ​this. ​Not ​from ​the ​Wisconsin ​division ​of ​the ​FBI, ​not ​from ​a ​branch ​office ​which ​we ​have ​right ​here, ​not from ​somebody ​who ​is ​administering ​the ​law ​and ​putting ​out, frankly, ​a ​press ​release ​to ​update ​exactly ​what ​is ​going ​on. ​But ​the ​FBI ​director ​himself. It ​clearly ​shows ​that ​this ​is ​something ​that ​was ​directed ​by ​the ​inner ​circle ​of ​Donald ​Trump. ​​I ​think ​if ​you’re ​looking ​for ​more ​evidence ​on ​it, ​the ​fact ​that ​he ​deleted ​it ​pretty ​damn ​quickly. ​And ​then ​another ​statement ​came ​up ​from ​Pam ​Bondi, ​who ​is ​the ​Attorney ​General, saying ​just ​as ​much. ​It’s ​very ​clear ​they ​want ​to ​use ​this. ​They ​want ​to ​use ​Hannah ​Dugan ​and ​her ​arrest ​as a flag ​to ​wave ​to ​everybody, ​to ​be ​able ​to ​say, ​we ​are ​going ​to ​intimidate ​and ​we ​are ​going ​to ​bully ​our ​way ​into ​our ​version ​of ​justice, ​which ​is ​one ​that ​is ​xenophobic, ​which ​is ​one ​that ​does ​not ​follow ​the ​same ​protocols ​of ​the ​law ​and equal ​justice ​for ​all. ​It ​is ​one ​that ​is ​whatever ​Donald ​Trump ​says, ​and ​anybody ​in ​the ​way, ​we’re ​going ​to ​arrest ​and ​intimidate ​and ​bully.”
The speakers condemned federal immigration enforcement in local courts and defended Judge Dugan’s action, calling the arrest politically charges and dangerous to judicial independence.
