Veteran Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan is under investigation by the FBI for allegedly attempting to help an undocumented immigrant avoid arrest, according to a report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The individual was scheduled to appear in Dugan’s courtroom the week prior.
Court filings indicate that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents told the FBI they presented Dugan with an administrative warrant. Administrative warrants, unlike judicial warrants, are not issued by a federal court and do not authorize entry into non-public spaces under Fourth Amendment protections.
Margaret Daun, a talk show host and general counsel for Civic Media, explained to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “A judicial warrant is issued by a federal court based on probable cause and permits law enforcement to enter premises that are not public and search or seize property or arrest someone subject to the protections of the Fourth Amendment.” Daun added that individuals are not required to allow agents to enter or search property if they possess only an immigration warrant, not a valid judicial warrant signed by a judge.
In an email to judges, Chief Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Carl Ashley said ICE agents came to the Milwaukee County Courthouse on April 18 with a warrant. However, his email made no mention of Judge Dugan or an ongoing FBI investigation. ICE spokesperson Alethea Smock told the Journal Sentinel, “We have no information to provide at this point.”
When asked for comment via phone and email, Dugan reportedly responded, “Nearly every fact regarding the ‘tips’ in your email is inaccurate.” The incident marks the third time in recent months that the FBI has gone to the courthouse to make arrests, the Journal Sentinel reports.
Ashley’s April 18 email detailed that ICE agents arrived at the courthouse in the morning, identified themselves as security, and proceeded to Dugan’s courtroom. According to Ashley, “They were asked whether they had a warrant, and the agents presented the warrant as well as their identification. They were asked to go to the Chief Judge’s office. They complied. … They presented a warrant, which we copied.” Ashley added that county officials were working on a new policy to regulate courthouse access, one that would be “legally strong.”
Ashley’s email did not name the defendant or specify whether the individual was arrested. Records indicate that Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, born in Mexico, was charged with three misdemeanor counts of battery and appeared in Dugan’s courtroom on April 18. He is now reportedly in federal custody at an ICE detention facility in Dodge County.
On April 21, Dugan responded to Ashley’s email, stating, “As a point of clarification below, a warrant was not presented in the hallway on the 6th floor,” according to the Journal Sentinel.
Judge Ana Berrios-Schroeder Cabrera, who was elected in 2024, raised additional concerns about the courthouse’s protocol for handling ICE warrants. In an email cited by the Journal Sentinel, Cabrera wrote, “If the proposed protocol is to accept these warrants, I find it problematic. In effect, the protocol seems to merely facilitate ICE arrests in a manner that is quiet and least disruptive to us. On the other hand, the protocol gives the illusion to the general public that steps are being taken in the courthouse to prevent ICE overreach.” Cabrera said she could not support a policy that appears designed to legitimize ICE operations in courthouses.
The Journal Sentinel also reported that the courthouse arrests have heightened concerns among immigrant advocates about access to the justice system. Darryl Morin, national president of Forward Latino, emphasized the “significant difference between presenting an administrative warrant and a judicial warrant.” He noted that past Democratic and Republican administrations discouraged ICE agents from conducting enforcement actions at courthouses, churches, and schools.
State Rep. Bob Donovan, R-Greenfield, expressed outrage in an April 22 news release, accusing Dugan of helping undocumented immigrants evade federal authorities. “This borders on obstruction of justice, and I hope the FBI continues a thorough investigation and, if warranted, prosecutes to the fullest extent of the law,” Donovan said.
According to online court records, Dugan is still presiding over cases, and her docket remains full for the rest of the week. Her current judicial term expires in 2028.
