Illinois Gov. Pritzker criticizes arrest of Wisconsin judge for aiding migrant sought by ICE

CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is condemning the arrest of a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities on Friday.

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan is accused of helping a man and his lawyer escape through a jury door last week, after learning Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents was seeking his arrest and waiting in the hallway outside the courtroom.

The man was later arrested outside the courthouse after a foot pursuit.

On Friday, Dugan was taken into custody by the FBI, on charges of “concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest” and obstruction.

“Arresting a sitting state judge is an alarming escalation of Donald Trump’s war on the courts. Shortly after, Attorney General Pam Bondi went on Fox News to brag about it and confirm this authoritarian administration is going to keep persecuting and prosecuting sitting judges,” Pritzker said in a statement later that day.

“We do not have kings in America. We do not accept propaganda as fact. And we do not let authoritarian federal overarch hold us back from speaking up for justice,” Pritzker continued. “America was built on a system of Checks and Balances where different parts of our government have the duty to hold the power of the others to account. Today is a reminder for the Judiciary, Congress, and States to do our part in holding Trump and his lackeys accountable.

Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, in a statement on the arrest, accused the Trump administration of repeatedly using “dangerous rhetoric to attack and attempt to undermine our judiciary at every level.”

“I have deep respect for the rule of law, our nation’s judiciary, the importance of judges making decisions impartially without fear or favor, and the efforts of law enforcement to hold people accountable if they commit a crime,” Evers said. “I will continue to put my faith in our justice system as this situation plays out in the court of law.”

Court papers suggest Dugan was alerted to the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the courthouse by her clerk, who was informed by an attorney that they appeared to be in the hallway.

The FBI affidavit describes Dugan as “visibly angry” over the arrival of immigration agents in the courthouse and says that she pronounced the situation “absurd” before leaving the bench and retreating to her chambers. It says she and another judge later approached members of the arrest team inside the courthouse, displaying what witnesses described as a “confrontational, angry demeanor.”

After a back-and-forth with officers over the warrant for the man, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, she demanded that the arrest team speak with the chief judge and led them away from the courtroom, the affidavit says.

After directing the arrest team to the chief judge’s office, investigators say Dugan returned to the courtroom was and was heard saying words to the effect of “wait, come with me” before ushering Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer through a jury door into a non-public area of the courthouse. The action was unusual, the affidavit says, because “only deputies, juries, court staff, and in-custody defendants being escorted by deputies used the back jury door. Defense attorneys and defendants who were not in custody never used the jury door.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the man was facing domestic violence charges and that victims were sitting in the courtroom with state prosecutors when the judge helped him escape immigration arrest.

The judge “put the lives of our law enforcement officers at risk. She put the lives of citizens at risk. A street chase — it’s absurd that that had to happen,” Bondi said on Fox News Channel.

The case is similar to one brought during the first Trump administration against a Massachusetts judge, who was accused of helping a man sneak out a back door of a courthouse to evade a waiting immigration enforcement agent.

That prosecution sparked outrage from many in the legal community, who slammed the case as politically motivated. Prosecutors dropped the case against Newton District Judge Shelley Joseph in 2022 under the Democratic Biden administration after she agreed to refer herself to a state agency that investigates allegations of misconduct by members of the bench.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.