Latest news with #MilwaukeeCircuitCourt
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
New footage shows Milwaukee judge confronting ICE before allegedly helping illegal immigrant exit
Newly released video footage appears to show Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan speaking with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the Milwaukee County Courthouse before she allegedly directed an illegal immigrant defendant to leave through a private exit. Dugan, 65, was indicted last month on federal charges of obstruction of proceedings before a U.S. agency and unlawful concealment of an individual subject to arrest. Federal prosecutors allege that the Milwaukee Circuit Court judge personally escorted Mexican illegal immigrant and domestic battery suspect Eduardo Flores-Ruiz out of the courthouse in April while ICE agents were attempting to serve a warrant. The surveillance footage, released by Milwaukee County in response to an open records request, appears to show Dugan, wearing her black robe, confronting ICE agents in the courthouse hallway. Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan To Enter Plea In Federal Court Federal prosecutors say members of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), along with federal partners from the FBI, DEA, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, were preparing to serve Flores-Ruiz with a warrant in a public courthouse hallway on April 18 before his scheduled court appearance with Dugan. Read On The Fox News App After becoming aware of what federal officials described as a valid immigration arrest warrant for Flores-Ruiz, Dugan allegedly told agents that they needed a judicial warrant and told them to go to the chief judge's office. Milwaukee Judge Indicted For Helping Immigrant Evade Ice Faces Up To 6 Years In Prison The agents then left their place in the hallway, at which point Dugan allegedly chose not to hold a hearing for Flores-Ruiz and "personally escorted" the suspect and his attorney through a private exit while the victims of his alleged crimes were in the courthouse at the time, the Justice Department said in a press release. Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan Indicted After Allegedly Helping Illegal Alien Evade Ice A federal indictment accuses Dugan of "falsely" telling federal officials in April that they needed a warrant to come into her courtroom during a scheduled appearance by Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented Mexican national facing three misdemeanor battery charges. Video footage appears to show Flores-Ruiz exiting the courthouse with his attorney, while an ICE agent follows him, and then running alongside the building for about a block before agents capture and arrest him. Wisconsin Judge Accused Of Obstructing Ice Could Face Years In Prison, Doj Has 'Upper Hand': Former Prosecutor Federal officials arrested Dugan a week after the courthouse incident. Dugan faces a maximum sentence of six years. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against her. Fox News Digital has reached out to her attorney, Craig Mastantuono, for comment on the footage. Last month, Dugan's legal team also filed a motion to dismiss the federal case against her, saying the judge "is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts." "Immunity is not a defense to the prosecution to be determined later by a jury or court; it is an absolute bar to the prosecution at the outset," the motion article source: New footage shows Milwaukee judge confronting ICE before allegedly helping illegal immigrant exit
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Milwaukee County Judge Dugan indicted in immigration obstruction case
Protesters gather outside of the Milwaukee FBI office to speak out against the arrest of Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner) Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on charges of concealing a person from arrest and obstruction of proceedings. Dugan has been accused by federal officials of helping an undocumented immigrant escape from federal agents waiting to arrest him outside of her courtroom last month. The case has been cited by officials in the administration of President Donald Trump as an example of 'deranged' judges working to stymie the administration's increased immigration enforcement. Critics, including 150 judges of both political parties who wrote a letter to the Department of Justice objecting to Dugan's arrest, have said the charges against a sitting state judge mark an escalation by the Trump administration trying to make a political point in a weak case to attack the judiciary. Tuesday's indictment is a normal procedural step in a criminal case but attorneys said after Dugan's arrest late last month that it was strange that federal prosecutors hadn't gotten a grand jury indictment prior to bringing the charges against her. Instead, U.S. attorneys filed a criminal complaint, which publicized the case immediately and allowed Dugan's attorneys to learn the allegations against her. The charges stem from a routine court appearance in April by Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a 30-year-old Mexican immigrant accused of misdemeanor battery. While he was in the courtroom, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the FBI and DEA arrived with an administrative warrant to arrest Flores-Ruiz. That warrant, which was not signed by a judge, did not give agents the authority to enter the courtroom. The agents waited in the hallway outside. Dugan directed Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a side door of the room that exited into the same hallway. The agents saw him leave the room and one rode down the elevator with him before he was arrested later on the street. Dugan has been temporarily removed from her seat on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court by the Wisconsin Supreme Court while the charges are pending, but after the indictment, her attorneys said in a statement she'll fight the charges. 'Judge Dugan asserts her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court.' Dugan is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday morning. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Milwaukee County Judge Dugan indicted in immigration obstruction case
Protesters gather outside of the Milwaukee FBI office to speak out against the arrest of Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner) Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on charges of concealing a person from arrest and obstruction of proceedings. Dugan has been accused by federal officials of helping an undocumented immigrant escape from federal agents waiting to arrest him outside of her courtroom last month. The case has been cited by officials in the administration of President Donald Trump as an example of 'deranged' judges working to stymie the administration's increased immigration enforcement. Critics, including 150 judges of both political parties who wrote a letter to the Department of Justice objecting to Dugan's arrest, have said the charges against a sitting state judge mark an escalation by the Trump administration trying to make a political point in a weak case to attack the judiciary. Tuesday's indictment is a normal procedural step in a criminal case but attorneys said after Dugan's arrest late last month that it was strange that federal prosecutors hadn't gotten a grand jury indictment prior to bringing the charges against her. Instead, U.S. attorneys filed a criminal complaint, which publicized the case immediately and allowed Dugan's attorneys to learn the allegations against her. The charges stem from a routine court appearance in April by Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a 30-year-old Mexican immigrant accused of misdemeanor battery. While he was in the courtroom, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the FBI and DEA arrived with an administrative warrant to arrest Flores-Ruiz. That warrant, which was not signed by a judge, did not give agents the authority to enter the courtroom. The agents waited in the hallway outside. Dugan directed Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a side door of the room that exited into the same hallway. The agents saw him leave the room and one rode down the elevator with him before he was arrested later on the street. Dugan has been temporarily removed from her seat on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court by the Wisconsin Supreme Court while the charges are pending, but after the indictment, her attorneys said in a statement she'll fight the charges. 'Judge Dugan asserts her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court.' Dugan is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday morning. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wisconsin Judge Arrested by FBI for Allegedly Helping an Undocumented Immigrant Evade ICE Arrest
The FBI has reportedly arrested a judge in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on allegations that she helped an undocumented immigrant try to evade arrest. On Friday, April 25, FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X, claiming that Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan had 'intentionally misdirected federal agents away' from Eduardo Flores Ruiz as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were attempting to detain him last week. 'Thankfully, our agents chased down the perp on foot and he's been in custody since, but the Judge's obstruction created increased danger to the public,' Patel wrote in the post. Dugan, 65, was charged with obstructing or impeding a proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest. 'Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety,' her attorney, Craig Mastantuono, told U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen C. Dries during Dugan's Friday appearance in federal court, according to the Associated Press. Related: ICE Took a Trump Supporter's Wife as They Returned from Their Honeymoon. Still, He Says, 'I Don't Regret the Vote' On April 22, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the FBI was investigating Dugan's conduct in regard to an incident on April 18. However, in an email reply, Dugan denounced some of the publication's source reporting as 'inaccurate." The Journal Sentinel also noted that court records indicated Dugan did not have a case scheduled at the time ICE agents reportedly arrived at the courthouse. Dugan's apprehension is not the first notable courthouse arrest since the Trump administration ramped up ICE activity. On Feb. 20, surveillance cameras inside the Nashua Circuit Court in New Hampshire captured federal agents knocking an elderly bystander to the ground as they attempted to detain Arnuel Marquez Colmenarez, a 33-year-old Venezuelan man. Related: After ICE Agents Realized They Arrested the Wrong Teen in N.Y.C., They Were Told to 'Take Him Anyway': Report Colmenarez was at the Nashua Circuit Court on Feb. 20 for an arraignment on misdemeanor charges related to an alleged drunk driving incident on Feb. 9. However, before he made it to court, he was thrown to the ground and detained by the agents. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer. An older man walking with a cane was also caught up in the scuffle and fell on his back. The man remained on the ground — seemingly unable to get up — for several moments while the agents kept their focus on holding Colmenarez down. Read the original article on People
