The Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies are once again under fire—this time for arresting a sitting judge. Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was taken into federal custody after being accused of helping a migrant evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a courthouse in Milwaukee.
The case has ignited fierce debate over the role of ICE in local courthouses and raised fresh concerns about judicial independence. Critics say the arrest is part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to intimidate the judiciary and expand the reach of immigration enforcement into traditionally off-limits spaces.
Judge Dugan is charged with obstruction and harboring a migrant, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, who was in the U.S. illegally and facing assault-related charges. According to the criminal complaint, Dugan allegedly escorted Ruiz through a restricted courthouse hallway to avoid ICE officers. Ruiz was ultimately arrested outside the courthouse after a brief chase.
Dugan’s legal team maintains her innocence, insisting she will be exonerated.
ICE has conducted 189 courthouse arrests since Trump returned to office in January—more than double the number from the previous full year under the Biden administration. The rapid rise in such arrests is fueling accusations that Trump’s policies are eroding the boundaries between immigration enforcement and the judicial system.
“This adds to a sense of the judiciary being under attack,” said Jeremy Fogel, director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute and a former federal judge. “Whether or not it’s going to be successful, it’s seen as part of a broader attempt to weaken or delegitimize the judiciary.”
Since Trump’s return, ICE has scrapped a Biden-era policy that had limited courthouse arrests. The current approach targets not only migrants with criminal records or gang affiliations but also allows ICE to arrest relatives of defendants and potential witnesses.
Supporters of the policy argue that courthouses are logical venues for arrests because individuals reliably appear for hearings and are subject to security screening.
“The ability of law enforcement to make arrests of criminal illegal aliens in courthouses is common sense,” said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security.
As Judge Dugan prepares to appear in federal court this Thursday, her case underscores a deepening conflict between local judicial authority and federal immigration enforcement—one that could shape legal norms and civil liberties for years to come.
