Federal Choose Arrested Over Altercation With ICE

A outstanding Milwaukee County choose was arrested on April 25 after being accused of serving to an undocumented immigrant evade arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers contained in the courthouse.

On Friday (April 25), a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel revealed Choose Hannah Dugan, 65, faces a number of felony costs together with obstructing a federal company and concealing an individual from arrest. The fees stem from an incident on April 18, when Dugan presided over a pretrial listening to for Eduardo Flores-Ruiz—a 35-year-old undocumented immigrant from Mexico. Flores-Ruiz, who has lived in Milwaukee for greater than a decade and labored as a prepare dinner, was dealing with three misdemeanor battery costs associated to a home incident involving two roommates.

In response to a 13-page federal grievance, ICE brokers had secured an arrest warrant for Flores-Ruiz the day earlier than his courtroom look. On the morning of the listening to, six plainclothes members of the ICE activity drive, joined by FBI and DEA brokers, knowledgeable Dugan’s courtroom bailiff they might arrest Flores-Ruiz after the continuing.

What adopted was an uncommon courtroom altercation. The grievance alleges that Choose Dugan, after being knowledgeable of the brokers’ presence, referred to as the scenario “absurd” left the bench and returned visibly upset. She reportedly advised the federal group their administrative warrant was not adequate and insisted they take the matter to Chief Choose Carl Ashley.

Witnesses mentioned Dugan then expedited the listening to and “forcefully motioned” for Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer to exit by means of a facet door resulting in a hallway and the courthouse’s public space. Minutes later, federal brokers chased Flores-Ruiz down and arrested him close to the intersection of West State Avenue and North tenth Avenue. He has since been charged federally with unlawful re-entry and stays in ICE custody at Dodge Detention Facility.

Choose Dugan’s lawyer, Steve Biskupic, mentioned the choose will “vigorously defend herself” in opposition to what he described as an unjust arrest. He famous Dugan’s long-standing dedication to due course of and mentioned she appears ahead to being exonerated.

Her arrest has sparked nationwide consideration and political outrage. Critics of the Trump-era immigration coverage, together with Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, described the arrest as extreme and politically motivated.

“If a choose is being arrested in a courthouse, simply think about the chilling impact that it sends to folks who would in any other case take part in judicial proceedings in our courthouse – and never simply within the Milwaukee County Courthouse, however courthouses throughout the state of Wisconsin and courthouses throughout america,” Johnson mentioned.

In the meantime, conservative lawmakers applauded the motion, framing it as a message to public officers to not hinder immigration enforcement.

Watch the report above for extra particulars.

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