By Steve Neavling
A federal grand jury has indicted Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan on charges of helping an undocumented immigrant avoid arrest by federal agents, escalating a high-profile clash over immigration enforcement, the Guardian reports.
Dugan, who was arrested in April, is charged with concealing a person from arrest and obstructing proceedings. Prosecutors allege she led Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a man wanted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, out a back door of her courtroom after learning agents were waiting outside. Flores-Ruiz, who had previously been deported, was later captured outside the courthouse after a brief chase.
The case has drawn national attention and sparked protests in Milwaukee. Critics of the Trump administration say Dugan is being targeted as part of a broader effort to intimidate judges who resist federal immigration crackdowns. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders called the arrest part of a larger move toward “authoritarianism.”
If convicted on both counts, Dugan faces up to six years in prison. Her attorneys said she maintains her innocence and looks forward to vindication.
Wisconsin’s Supreme Court suspended Dugan from the bench in late April, citing the need to preserve public trust in the judiciary. A reserve judge has taken her place.
