Hannah Dugan speaks duration of a forum in the Milwaukee Law Association in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while looking for elections for the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, March 15, 2016.
Mike de Sisti | Through Reuters
The federal authorities have arrested a former judge of New Mexico and a Wisconsin judge in two separate cases, accusing the issue of interfering with the application efforts of the Trump administration.
The judge of the Milwaukee Circuit Court, Hannah Dugan, was arrested on Friday morning and accused of obstruction for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant to evade the ruling after he appeared in the courtroom of the court last week.
Dugan’s trial occurred one day after the federal authorities arrested a former judge of New Mexico and his wife for charges related to them, according to reports, housing an undocumented immigrant with ties aligned with the notorious train gang of Aragua.
The actions against the judges mark a strong escalation in the aggressive efforts of the Trump administration to eliminate undocumented immigrants from USS
“No one should be surprised by the judgment of two judges,” Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border, said Friday, in a statement.
“If it actively prevents our compliance efforts or if you house or hidden illegal foreigners knowing [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] You will be prosecuted, “Homan wrote in X.
Dugan’s trial caused a rapid condemnation of Trump’s critics.
“The Americans are observing with indignation the impressive news that Trump’s FBI arrested a judge in Milwaukee for alleged obstruction of an immigration sentence,” said representative Jamie Rankin, D-MD., Said in a statement.
“This is a drastic escalation and a new dangerous front in Trump’s authoritarian campaign to try to intimidate, intimidate and accuse the judges that they will not follow their dictates,” said Raskin, a member of classification of the Judicial Committee of the Chamber. “We must do our best to defend the independent judiciary in the United States.”
Trial in New Mexico
A former judge of New Mexico, Joel Cano, and his wife, Nancy Cano, were arrested after Ice accused or housed the members of a Venezuelan gang.
Courtesy: Dona Ana County Prison)
The former Judge of the County of Doña Ana, Joel Cano, who resigned last month, and Nancy Cano faces charges of evidence manipulation, as shown by the prison records.
Cano, who has served at the bank since 2011, presented his renunciation letter on March 3, days after national security raided his home, judicial documents obtained by NBC News Show.
The raid occurred months after federal agents received a tip in January that Cristio Ortega, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela and subscribed to Train, the member of Aragua, and others stayed in the property of the cinos.
Ortega is accused in a separate federal case in New Mexico of having a firearm as an illegal foreigner.
A affidavit in the criminal case of Cano said that the National Security agents carried out another raid at the former judge’s house on Thursday, in search of a cell phone that they thought it was from Ortega.
In an interview with agents, Cano said “that he destroyed the cell phone that belonged to Ortega by breaking it with a hammer and discarding the removal pieces in the garbage container of the city approximately five weeks ago,” according to that affidavit.
Cano has denied any knowledge that the three people were affiliated with the gang.
“The first time I heard that the children could have some association with a train, the Aragua was when the agents informed me of that … The day of the raid,” Cano wrote in the face of a march.
Wisconsin’s trial
Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, seen in a cup in tasks when he was arrested in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 14, 2025.
Courtesy: Milwaukee County Sheriff
A spokeswoman for the US sheriff service confirmed to CNBC that Dugan was arrested around 8:30 am local time on the property of the court.
Dugan was released on bail after making the initial appearance on Friday morning in the United States District Court in Milwaukee before Judge Judge Stephen Dries, according to his case file. The “Reading and Supplication of Dugan” is established for May 15, shows the file.
The main judge of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Carl Ashley, told NBC that the Code of Judicial Conduct restricts him to comment on the matter, but said that Dugan’s judicial calendar “will be covered by another judge as necessary.”
The director of the FBI, Kash Patel, announced in X that the FBI believes that Decan “intentionally moved away the federal agents” of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz when the agents tried in his court.
“Fortunately, our agents persecuted the perjrally on foot and he has been in custody since then, but the judge’s obstruction created a greater danger to the public,” Patel said in the position.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday that the FBI was investigating Dugan’s conduct around an attempt to judgment by immigration and customs’ immigration and compliance agents in his court on April 18.
That day, Dugan “became visible” after learning that ICE agents were waiting in the hall to judge Flores-Ruiz after a hearing in their case of criminal aggression, according to a sworn affidavit without sealing on Friday.
Dugan and another judge entered the hall and faced the sentence team, telling a deportation officer who needed a court order to issue a ruling instead of “administrative order.” Decan then ordered the office of the main judge, he alleged the affidavit.
After returning to his courtroom, Duplan “escorted Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer” through a jury, which leads to a non-public area of the building, declared the affidavit, citing “multiple witnesses.”
Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer then returned to the hall and touched an elevator down to leave the building, the special agent alleged. After they told him that Flores-Ruiz was in front of the court, the agents ran to him and identified themselves as agents of the law.
“Flores-Ruiz turned around and ran down the street. There was a pursuit in the foot,” Chordination to the affidavit.
“The agents persecuted Flores-Ruiz throughout the length of the court and finally gave it to Apple, near the intersection of W. State Street and 10th Street. Flores-Ruiz was handcuffed and detained,” he said.
Dugan’s criminal complaint shows that he has accused of hiding an individual to avoid his discovery and judgment, and obstruct or prevent a procedure before a federal department or agency.
ICE agents have arrested people in the courts of the court in March and April, according to the Journal Sentinel.
ICE did not immediately respond to the request for comments from CNBC. A person who answered a call to the chambers of Dugan declined to comment.
The White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement to NBC: “The days of actively helping and inciting illegal foreigners who invade our country.”
“The Trump administration will never hesitate to put Americans and the United States first with a meaningless approach for the application of immigration. In this administration, anyone who commits crimes exposes criminal responsibility,” Desai said.
