The Federal Government announced two arrests separately on Friday of a current judge and a former judge who allegedly helped undocumented immigrants who the authorities claim that they were violent criminals, movements that have increased red flags between the Democrats and others.
Milwaukee Circuit Circuit Judge, Hannah Dugan, was arrested on Friday by the FBI for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant to evade arrest last week. His arrest was made hours after the federal authorities arrested former judge of New Mexico, Joel Cano, and his wife Nancy Cano for allegedly accommodating a Venezuelan national with the bonds of reported gangs, said Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Bondi spoke with Kyra Phillips of ABC News Live on Friday afternoon to discuss the cases and dismissed critics who accused the Trump administration of intimidating judges who oppose their repression against undocumented immigrants.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge, Hannah Dugan, shown during a candidate forum in 2016.
Mike de Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/Imagn
“No one is above the law, not even a judge,” Bondi told Philips.
The director of the FBI, Kash Patel, announced the arrest of Judge Dugan on Friday at a social media post, which was briefly eliminated and reimbursed.
“Just now, the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan of Milwaukee, Wisconsin for charges of obstruction, after the evidence that Judge Dugan obstructs an arrest operation for immigration last week,” Patel said in the new position. “We believe that Judge Dugan intentionally directed federal agents outside the subject to be arrested in his court, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject, an illegal foreigner, evading the arrest.”
Dugan was accused of two criminal charges of “obstructing and preventing a procedure before an United States department or agency” and “hiding a person to avoid their discovery and arrest,” according to a criminal complaint without sealing on Friday.
The registrations of the County Court show that the undocumented immigrant in the case of Milwaukee, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, would appear in the Court on April 18 before Dugan for a conference prior to the trial in a case in which he has been accused of three minor crimes of aggression/domestic abuse connected to an incident on March 12. The case is ongoing.
Federal prosecutors claim that Flores-Ruiz entered the United States illegally from Mexico and an order of removal issued in January 2013 was issued, according to a criminal complaint.
Bondi alleged that Flores-Ruiz beat his fourth partner and a woman so bad that they needed to be hospitalized and that he continued to be a belligerent in the hospital before his arrest.
According to the complaint, they allegedly sought to help Flores-Ruiz evade the arrest by federal officers of an ICE task force.
When Judge Dugan learned that ICE officers were present in the Court to arrest Flores-Ruiz, she became “visibly angry” and said that the situation was “absurd” before leaving the bank and entering their cameras, according to the complaint, which cited the witnesses who spoke with the FBI.
Dugan and another unidentified judge supposedly approached the arrest team in the public hall, according to the complaint. He was “visibly upset and had a confrontation and angry behavior” and asked one of the officers if they were present for an appearance in the Court, the complaint alleged.
When the officer replied that they were there to make an arrest, the complaint alleges that Judge Dugan asked if he had a court order, to which the officer replied: “No, I have an administrative order.”
Multiple witnesses cited in the complaint later allegedly said that Judge Dugan returned to his courtroom after directing the members of the arrest team to the office of the main judge of the court.
“The court of the court then saw the judge dug lifted and listen to the judge, they say something like ‘wait, come with me,” says the complaint. “Despite having been advised from the administrative order for the arrest of Flores-Ruiz, the judge then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer outside the Chamber of the Chamber through the ‘Gate of the Jury’, which leads to a non-public area of the Court.”
“Then he continues, he continues with his file, his file ends. Two victims sit in court all morning waiting and in the end. Prosecutors say ‘What happened? Why wasn’t the case called?'” He said Bondi.
A DEA agent saw Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer in the public hall of the court and seemed to be making efforts to evade the arrest, says the complaint. After the FBI and the DEA agents found themselves out of the building, Flores-Ruiz “turned around and ran down the street” before being detained ultimately, according to the complaint.
Attorney General Pam Bondi talks about the arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge, Hannah Dugan, at ABC News on April 25, 2025.
ABC News
Dugan was arrested Friday morning at the Palace of Justice, confirmed an official of the law to ABC News.
She appeared in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on Friday for both positions, but did not take into account. It was released by its own recognition.
Dugan retained former United States prosecutor Steven Biskupic to represent her and he said in a statement that the judge “will defend himself vigorously and hopes to be exonerated.”
“Judge Hannah C. Dugan has committed to the rule of law and the principles of due process for his entire career and judge,” Biskupic said in a statement.
If it is declared guilty for the charges, Dugan could face up to six years in prison.
Bondi responded to the statement stating that everyone is entitled to their day in court, but reiterated that they are also the victims of crimes.
“They didn’t understand him because he let a criminal defendant go out a door. She helped them. He observed justice,” Bondi told Phillips.
Judge Dugan’s arrest enraged the mayor of Milwaukee Cavalier Johnson, who accused federal agents of “showbaking” and said Dugan was not a risk of escape.
“They are only trying to have this sample of force and in the process of a court where people need to go to judicial procedures, they are scaring people to participate in the judicial process,” the mayor told reporters.
The governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, in a statement on Friday afternoon, criticized President Donald Trump and the White House so, according to him, they were efforts “to attack and try to undermine our Judiciary at all levels.”
Evers said he would continue to have faith in the justice system “as this situation develops in the Court of Justice.” He did not mention Dugan by name.
In an interview on Friday, Phillips asked Ag Bondi if he thought that government actions intimidated people in the judicial system, but she dodged the question.
“We are trying to protect citizens, make the United States again,” he said.
Bondi mentioned the case of New Mexico, where former judge Joel Cano faces a charge of evidence manipulation.
The Court documents claim that on February 28, an alleged member of the Venezuelan Gang Train of Aragua was arrested at the Canos Residence.
On April 24, the agents attended a search warrant in their residence and conducted an interview with Cano where he admitted to having destroyed a cell phone that belonged to the alleged member of the gang by breaking it with a hammer and throwing it in the trash, according to the complaint and Bondi.
“Cano declared that he destroyed the cell phone and admitted that he believed that the cell phone contained photos or videos that would be reflected negatively in Ortega,” says the complaint. “Through more questions, the agents determined that … Cano destroyed the cell phone believing that it contained photographs of Ortega with firearms that Ortega had uploaded on social media platforms that would be additional incriminating evidence against him.”
Booking photos for former judge of New Mexico Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano.
DHS
Cano and his wife have not yet submitted supplications in their cases, according to judicial records, and did not advocate them immediately.
Bondi reiterated that immigrants connected to the judges were supposedly violent.
Phillips again pushed Bondi about the arrests, asking if there was concern that the federal government has just prosecuted the judges, but the A said that the charges were serious.
“Those are the people who must be arrested and taken from our country. No matter who is, nobody can house them, not even a judge,” he said.
Phillips questioned to what extent the government was willing to arrest undocumented immigrants, and if that meant that mayors and governors could be attacked.
Bondi seemed to dodge the question and reiterated that the objective of the administration is to keep the people safe.
“I hope a mayor, I hope a governor will never house anyone,” he said.
