MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The trial of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan commenced on Monday, where she faces federal charges related to allegedly helping a Mexican immigrant evade federal authorities. Dugan, who is charged with obstruction and concealing an individual to prevent arrest, has drawn significant public attention amid a politically charged debate on immigration enforcement in the United States.
The federal prosecutors are expected to present their case over the course of the week, starting with opening statements from both the prosecution and Dugan's defense team. The prosecution has lined up around two dozen witnesses to support its case against Dugan, who could face up to six years in prison if convicted.
This case has been particularly contentious, aligning with broader themes surrounding immigration policy and enforcement in the Trump administration era, where Dugan has been labeled by some as an activist judge. Wisconsin U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany has publicly called for her to be incarcerated, indicating a clear partisan divide over the case.
Democrat voices argue that this prosecution is an attempt by the Trump administration to dissuade judges from opposing federal immigration policies. The political climate surrounding Dugan’s case is underscored by reported threats against her and her family, including flyers that they discovered at their home this spring.
According to an FBI affidavit, Dugan is accused of enabling Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who had previously re-entered the U.S. illegally in 2013, to evade arrest at a 2018 court hearing. Dugan allegedly instructed federal agents to wait outside the courtroom for Flores-Ruiz to make his exit after the hearing, and subsequently led him out through a back door while agents awaited his arrest.
Following a brief foot chase initiated by agents who pursued Flores-Ruiz after his release, he was eventually apprehended. The Department of Homeland Security announced later that Flores-Ruiz had been deported after entering a plea in a battery case.
Dugan, who has been suspended from her position pending the outcome of the trial, is challenging the charges on the grounds that her actions were in line with courthouse policy that supposedly restricts immigration agents from making administrative arrests in non-public areas of the courthouse. Her defense insists that she was acting within her judicial capacity and has sought to have the charges dismissed on those grounds, but the motions have been rejected by the court.
As the trial unfolds, it may have lasting implications not just for Dugan but also for the ongoing tensions surrounding immigration law enforcement in the U.S.
