By Darren Lyn
HOUSTON, United States (AA) - A federal grand jury indicted a judge in the US state of Wisconsin on Tuesday who is accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities.
The US Attorney's office of the Eastern District of Wisconsin confirmed the indictment of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan to news outlets.
Prosecutors charged Dugan last month for concealing an individual to prevent arrest and obstruction. They said Dugan escorted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out of her courtroom through a back jury door on April 18 after learning that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were in the courthouse to arrest him.
Federal agents ultimately captured Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse after a foot chase and Dugan was subsequently arrested for her alleged role in his original escape.
According to court documents, Flores-Ruiz illegally re-entered the US after being deported in 2013. He was charged with three counts of misdemeanor domestic abuse in Milwaukee County in March and was in Dugan's courtroom on April 18 for a hearing.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan from the bench in late April and said the move was necessary to preserve public confidence in the judiciary.
Dugan had served as a judge in Milwaukee County Circuit Court since 2016. She was re-elected to her seat in 2022 after running unopposed.
Her case has escalated tensions between the Trump administration and the judicial branch regarding President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown.
Democrats have accused the Trump administration of trying to make a national example out of Dugan to quell judicial opposition to Trump’s stringent immigration policies.