Patel Says Fbi Arrests Milwaukee-area Judge For Obstruction In Immigration Case

The FBI arrested a Milwaukee County judge on Friday for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant evade arrest, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in a since-deleted social media post.

“Just NOW, the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on charges of obstruction — after evidence of Judge Dugan obstructing an immigration arrest operation last week,” Patel announced in an X post on Friday morning.

The department’s apparent arrest of a state judge is a remarkable escalation of the administration’s battle with the judiciary. It was not immediately clear why the post from Patel was deleted.

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed the arrest.

Dugan is a Milwaukee County circuit court judge, an elected position. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported earlier this week that the FBI was investigating her, and she told the paper via email that “nearly every fact regarding the 'tips' in your email is inaccurate.”

“We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest,” Patel wrote. Patel said the judge’s actions “created increased danger to the public.”

The Trump administration has pledged to investigate and potentially prosecute local officials who refuse to cooperate with the administration’s sweeping deportation agenda. A Department of Justice memo sent in January told U.S. Attorney’s Offices to pursue charges when necessary.

And in February, Trump signed an executive order directing agency heads to ensure federal funding wasn’t facilitating illegal immigration or “sanctuary policies that seek to shield illegal aliens from deportation.”

During Trump’s first presidency, the Justice Department indicted a local Massachusetts judge on charges of obstructing federal immigration authorities. The charges were later dropped after the judge agreed to refer herself to the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct for possible discipline.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Josh Gerstein and Juan Benn contributed to this report.