According to the New York Post, a Wisconsin judge named Hannah Dugan has entered a not-guilty plea to not guilty to federal charges that accuse her of aiding an illegal immigrant in avoiding arrest by ICE ( U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ) agents. The offenses include concealing a person to stop their identification and arrest, as well as obstruction of justice. Authorities claim that on April 18, Dugan escorted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer out of her court using a private judge enter to avert ICE officials from detaining him.
Dugan in her black robes conversing with federal agents who were reportedly present to assault Flores-Ruiz has been captured on surveillance video of the incident.
The ICE officials are seen going down a corridor in the April 18 footage, according to The Post, after Judge Dugan directed them through a lock. According to the prosecution, Dugan appears to have tried to divert the officials ‘ focus as they arrested Flores-Ruiz. Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer leave a typically reserved exit soon after the ICE brokers leave, as seen in the video. According to the movie, one federal representative follows Flores-Ruiz as he enters an elevator and then leaves the court. Eventually, Florida-Ruiz is seen running north for about a strip before being apprehended by ICE brokers.
Milwaukee County
Dugan, a Milwaukee County Circuit Judge, was detained by the FBI on April 25 and the Wisconsin Supreme Court has since given her a temporary suspension from her administrative duties. Her defense contends that the federal government violated state independence by intervening in a state court and that she is immune from prosecution for steps taken in her formal power as a prosecutor. Her constitutional team wants the charges dropped, calling the prosecution’s progress extraordinary and illegal.
Major public interest and political unrest have been sparked by the case. Demonstrators are demonstrating against the Trump administration’s immigration protection practices outside the federal court in Milwaukee. The trial has been criticized by Democratic politicians and legal professionals as an assault on administrative independence, while the Trump presidency has argued that no one is above the law.
Dugan’s test is reportedly set to start on July 21.