The FBI grabbed a Milwaukee judge.  She was accused of helping a man slip away from immigration officers.  This happened in the middle of a big argument between the government and the courts about immigration rules.  The judge, Hannah Dugan, was picked up at her courthouse.  She was charged with hiding a man to keep him from being caught.  She was also accused of getting in the way of a legal process.

The FBI boss, Kash Patel, said that Dugan led immigration agents away from a man they were trying to arrest.  The man was later caught, but the judge's actions made things more dangerous for everyone.  Dugan was taken into custody in the morning and then let go later that day.  Her lawyer said she was sorry for what happened.  He also said she did not put public safety at risk.

The man in question was Eduardo Flores-Ruiz.  Dugan helped him and his lawyer leave the courtroom through a door usually only used by court staff and inmates.  This was not typical.  Defense lawyers and defendants who are not in custody do not use this door.  The FBI said Dugan was upset when she saw the immigration agents.  She led them away from the courtroom.  Then, she helped Flores-Ruiz escape through the back door.

This is not the first time something like this has happened.  In 2022, a judge in Massachusetts was accused of helping a man avoid immigration agents.  That case was dropped later.  The Justice Department has been tough on local officials who get in the way of federal immigration efforts.  They have said they will look into any state or local officials who block federal actions.

The judge, Dugan, has been in her position since 2016.  Before that, she worked at Legal Action of Wisconsin and the Legal Aid Society.  She went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for her bachelor's degree and law school.  This situation has caused a lot of debate.  Some people think the government is going too far.  Others think the judge should have followed the rules.  It is a complicated issue with many different views.

The Judge Who Helped a Man Dodge Immigration Agents

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