Judge removed after allegedly helping illegals escape
A Wisconsin judge accused of shielding an illegal alien from federal immigration authorities has been benched by the state’s highest court as her legal battle unfolds.
On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that Judge Hannah Dugan will be “temporarily prohibited from exercising the powers of a circuit court judge” while facing criminal charges stemming from her alleged interference in a federal immigration arrest. The court’s order noted that the move was necessary “in order to uphold the public’s confidence” in the judiciary.
The ruling comes just days after Dugan was arrested by federal agents at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. She is charged with two counts: obstruction and concealing an individual from arrest. Dugan made her first court appearance Friday and was released on her own recognizance. Her attorney told reporters outside the courthouse, “Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety,” according to the Associated Press.
The charges stem from an April 18 incident in Dugan’s courtroom. According to court records, plainclothes ICE agents were stationed outside the courtroom waiting to arrest Eduardo Flores Ruiz, an illegal alien who had just appeared before Judge Dugan. The federal affidavit says the judge “became visibly angry, commented that the situation was ‘absurd,’ left the bench, and entered chambers” upon learning the agents were in the courthouse.
Witnesses told investigators that Dugan returned to confront the agents in a public hallway, allegedly demanding they leave and insisting they needed a different kind of warrant to make an arrest. She also reportedly involved the courthouse’s chief judge in the confrontation according to CNN.
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A judge's duty is to uphold the law and not thwart it. They cannot decide to ignore the law, including immigration laws.
See also:
Illegal immigrant busted by ICE after hiding in tree for 9 hours: ‘You can run, but you can’t hide’
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