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“She told the agents they did not have the proper type of warrant to arrest Flores-Ruiz and demanded they go speak with the county’s chief judge,” the complaint alleges.
Not stopping there, Dugan then moved down the corridor and instructed other agents to do the same — effectively dispersing the ICE team from the area outside her courtroom.
With federal agents temporarily gone, Flores-Ruiz and his attorney reportedly exited through a side door and began walking down a hallway. As luck — or miscalculation — would have it, they passed by another plainclothes federal officer who they apparently didn’t recognize.
That officer signaled to another agent, and they quickly moved to pursue Flores-Ruiz as he tried to flee the courthouse. He was apprehended just outside.
WDJT’s Adam Rife reported, “With the agents gone from the hallway, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his attorney exit into the hallway through a different door. As they walk down the hall toward the elevators, they pass another plain-clothes federal agent neither they nor Judge Dugan seemed to have noticed.”
On May 15, Judge Dugan entered a not guilty plea to the charges and is expected to appear in court again on July 9. Her defense team is fighting the case aggressively, filing a motion to dismiss based on what they argue is judicial immunity.
“The problems with this prosecution are legion, but most immediately, the government cannot prosecute Judge Dugan because she is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts,” the motion to dismiss states.
“Immunity is not a defense to the prosecution to be determined later by a jury or court; it is an absolute bar to the prosecution at the outset,” the defense continues, citing the 2023 Trump v. United States ruling.
Despite the legal arguments, the Wisconsin Supreme Court wasn’t waiting for a verdict. Last month, the high court issued an order suspending Judge Dugan from the bench pending the outcome of her federal criminal case.
This bombshell case is drawing national attention not just because a sitting judge is facing felony charges — but because it underscores the deepening divide between the federal government’s duty to enforce immigration laws and progressive efforts to thwart them at the state and local levels.
Critics are now asking how many other judges or officials across the country may be quietly working to undercut federal law enforcement.
One thing is certain: the footage out of Milwaukee is raising more questions than answers, and come July, Judge Dugan will face not just a courtroom — but the full weight of federal prosecution.
