Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley is working on ice enforcement
Milwaukee County Judge Carl Ashley is working on ice enforcement in court following the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan and federal accusations
MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended a judge charged with two federal numbers over allegations that undocumented immigrants are trying to avoid arrest after an undocumented immigrant appeared in court.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, 65, was charged on April 25 with two federal numbers that obstructed US agencies and hid individuals to prevent arrest. She is accused of trying to help undocumented Mexican immigrant Eduardo Flores Luis. He avoids arrest by federal immigration officials after appearing in court in Milwaukee County Court on April 18th.
Under the Supreme Court order, Dugan is not permitted to carry out his responsibilities as a Milwaukee County judge from April 29th “until further orders of the court.” Dugan will continue to be paid $174,512 a year during administrative leave.
Court officials emphasized that this was an administrative measure, not a disciplinary action.
“In the exercise of that constitutional authority and to maintain the public’s trust in the courts of this state during the pending criminal case against Judge Dugan, we conclude in our claim that it is in the public interest that she is temporarily released from her official duties,” he said from April 29 to April 29.
Dugan’s lawyers issued a statement criticizing the court’s lawsuit.
“We are disappointed that the court has acted unilaterally,” said Dugan’s legal team. “We continue to assert Judge Dugan’s innocence and look forward to her proof in court.”
The order comes after Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Carl Ashley said the hearing on Dugan’s calendar will be handled by a preliminary judge. Ashley also said Milwaukee County judges were interested in how Dugan was arrested.
Judge Hannah Dugan has been accused of helping humans avoid arrests
According to criminal charges, Dugan is accused of escorting Flores Lewis and his public defense attorney from her courtroom through the side door after learning that immigration authorities were in the hallway seeking his arrest. Federal agents eventually arrested Flores Lewis after chasing a short leg outside the courthouse.
A week later, FBI agents arrested Dugan in court, according to eyewitnesses and federal officials. She was released from custody after a brief appearance in federal court in Milwaukee on the second half of April 25th.
The two charges, a felony and another misdemeanor, charge the largest penalty in a six-year prison sentence and a $350,000 fine, but the sentences are usually much shorter when involving non-violent crimes.
The arrest recorded marks that federal immigration agents came to court on an arrest warrant as part of a national crackdown on illegal immigration under the Trump administration. In March and early April, two people were arrested by ICE staff in court hallways.
Dugan’s arrest sparked protests throughout Milwaukee outside federal court on April 25th. The protest continued over the weekend, with more than 200 people gathering outside the FBI field office in St. Francis on April 28th.
Politicians are split along ideological boundaries, Republicans are talking about removing Dugan from their offices and Democrats condemning arrests in court.
Trump administration officials praised the Milwaukee-based federal agent for arresting Dugan on two federal accusations. US Attorney General Pam Bondy and FBI Director Kash Patel have announced Dugan’s arrest in the X’s Post.
Dugan’s case is similar to Massachusetts District Court Judge Shelley Joseph. Joseph is said to have helped undocumented immigrants avoid ice agents. In 2022, federal prosecutors dropped the charges against her and were revived a year later.
Eduardo Flores Luis case
Federal officials have used biometric fingerprint comparisons to confirm that Flores Lewis, who will appear before Dugan in 2013, was deported from the United States. ICE officials obtained a warrant for Flores Lewis on April 17th.
Flores Lewis, 30, has been charged with counting three misdemeanors of domestic battery. He was able to fine each claim $10,000 for up to nine months in prison.
On April 18, six members of the Milwaukee Ice Task Force wore ordinary clothes and went to county court to arrest Flores Lewis around 8am, the complaint said. They then informed the enforcement officer in Dugan’s court that they planned an arrest and agreed to wait until he appeared in his court.
The clerk informs Dugan that the ice agent appears to be waiting in the courtroom hallway.
The DEA agents then saw Flores Lewis and his lawyers on the elevator, and he got on it with them and informed the others on the arrest team of what was going on. Flores Lewis left the elevator and faced two agents outside the courthouse.
“The foot pursuit continued,” the complaint added. “The agent chased Flores Lewis on the full length of the courthouse and eventually arrested him near the intersection of W. State Street and 10th Avenue.
Records show that Flores Lewis was charged with illegal re-entry into the United States by federal authorities on April 24th.
According to a service from the former US S, Flores Lewis holds federal custody at the Ozokey County Jail. Flores Lewis was initially taken into custody at the Dodge Detention Facility in Juneau, and was later booked on April 24th at the Ozokey Facility in Port Washington.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)