The illegal immigrant allegedly protected by a Wisconsin judge who was arrested on charges of obstruction of justice over the incident has been charged with a variety of violent crimes, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest of Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan Friday morning after she allegedly misdirected Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to help an illegal immigrant evade arrest. DHS later revealed that the immigrant she allegedly protected, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, was being charged with a “laundry list” of violent crimes, including strangulation and suffocation, battery, and domestic abuse.
“Since President [Donald] Trump was inaugurated, activist judges have tried to obstruct President Trump and the American people’s mandate to make America safe and secure our homeland — but this judge’s actions to shield an accused violent criminal illegal alien from justice is shocking and shameful,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
“We are thankful for our partners at the FBI for helping remove this accused criminal from America’s streets,” she added. “If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you and lock you up. That’s a promise.”
McLaughlin said that Flores-Ruiz had already been deported to his native Mexico twice previously.
Dugan’s arrest stems from an April 18 incident in which ICE agents showed up at the Wisconsin courthouse with a warrant for the arrest of an illegal immigrant, according to a 13-page criminal complaint released Friday. The complaint states Dugan “became visibly angry” upon learning agents were waiting to arrest Flores-Ruiz and told them to report to the chief judge, claiming they needed a judicial warrant.
While they complied, Dugan allegedly expedited Flores-Ruiz’s hearing and led him and his attorney through a nonpublic corridor to evade detection, from which they slipped out of the courthouse. He was out of the courthouse for about 22 minutes before being chased and detained by immigration officials.
Patel said the judge’s actions “increased danger to the public.”
Following the news of Dugan’s arrest, congressional Democrats erupted with outrage.
“It is remarkable that the Administration would dare to start arresting state court judges,” House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said, according to Axios. “It’s a whole new descent into government chaos.”
“The Trump administration again is breaking norms in how it’s dealing with immigration, the legal system, and normalcy … This is stuff I expect from Third World countries,” Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) told the outlet.
“They arrested a judge?! They can no longer claim to be a party of law and order. This will have to be a red line for congressional Republicans. Unbelievable,” Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) said.
“This is not normal. The Administration’s arrest of a sitting judge in Wisconsin is a drastic move that threatens the rule of law. While we don’t have all the details, this is a grave step and undermines our system of checks and balances,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) posted on X.
FBI ARRESTS MILWAUKEE JUDGE OVER OBSTRUCTING ICE OPERATIONS
Attorney General Pam Bondi denounced the outrage in an appearance on Fox News, outlining the events in the courtroom and Flores-Ruiz’s crimes.
“No one is above the law,” Bondi said. “No one is above the law in this country. And if you are destroying evidence, if you are obstructing justice, when you have victims sitting in a courtroom of domestic violence, and you’re escorting a criminal defendant out a back door, it will not be tolerated, and it is a crime in the United States.”