Dugan faces prison time after directing ICE agents away from man in courthouse
Former Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday afternoon in federal court for felony obstruction, after prosecutors said she helped an undocumented man evade arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in a courthouse encounter that drew national attention amid President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement push.
Dugan, 66, is set to appear for the hearing at 11:15 a.m. CDT. Federal prosecutors have recommended a sentence of 15 to 21 months in prison, saying they want a “serious and meaningful sentence.” Dugan’s attorneys have asked the court for time served, according to a UPI report.
The case stems from an incident on April 18, 2025, when ICE agents attempted to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz outside Dugan’s courtroom in the Milwaukee County Courthouse. According to prosecutors, Dugan directed the agents away from her court, then led Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a private jury door. Agents arrested Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse after chasing him on foot.
Dugan was arrested by the FBI in April 2025. She resigned from the bench on Jan. 3 after her conviction, as Wisconsin Assembly Republicans threatened to impeach her. In her resignation letter, Dugan said that “the Wisconsin citizens that I cherish deserve to start the year with a judge on the bench in Milwaukee County Branch 31 rather than have the fate of that court rest in a partisan fight in the state legislature.” MSI previously reported that the resignation reshaped the state court leadership amid intensifying conflict between state courts and federal immigration officers.
Dugan has said she plans to appeal her conviction and is expected to speak at her sentencing hearing.