April 25 (UPI) — Federal authorities on Friday arrested a Milwaukee County Circuit Judge over allegations she helped an undocumented migrant evade capture.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the news on X before deleting the post and later reposting it, in which he accused Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan of obstructing federal officials last week.
“We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest,” Patel wrote in the now-deleted social media post, which also congratulates the FBI’s Milwaukee field office.
“Thankfully, our agents chased down the perp on foot and he’s been in custody since, but the judge’s obstruction created increased danger to the public.”
Dugan mainly presides over misdemeanor matters and has sat on the court for the last nine years. The judge ran unopposed in 2022, with her term set to expire in 2028.
Neither Patel or the FBI have commented publicly on why the director’s post was deleted.
Dugan was arrested inside her courtroom Friday, WTMJ-TV reported. Later she made an appearance before a federal magistrate judge and was released on bond. Reports stated that she has another court hearing scheduled for May.
The outlet also published a photo of a seemingly-related note posted on the exterior of the courtroom door.
“If any attorney, witness coordinator, or other court official knows or believes that a person feels unsafe coming to the courthouse to courtroom 615, please notify the Branch 31 clerk to request court appearance via Zoom,” the note in the photo read.
Earlier in the week, the Milwaukee Sentinel reported Dugan was under investigation by federal authorities for helping undocumented migrants avoid capture. The FBI did not confirm the investigation at the time.
The Sentinel reported U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers visited the courthouse last Friday with an arrest warrant but did not take anyone into custody.
President Donald Trump has made removing migrants illegally in the United States one of his administration’s priorities.
Earlier in the month, the Department of Homeland Security revoked the legal status for hundreds of thousands of migrants temporarily in the United States, leaving them open to arrest and deportation.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 7-2 to pause deportations being carried out under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. Hundreds of Venezuelans held in northern Texas have been deported recently to El Salvador’s maximum-security Terrorism Confinement Center prison, using the Act as a justification.