Judge convicted of deliberately violating law by sneaking a criminal illegal alien away from ICE gets hand-slap punishment

By Bob Unruh

Hannah Dugan (Courtroom sketch)
Hannah Dugan (Courtroom sketch)

A Wisconsin judge convicted in federal court of deliberately violating the law by interfering with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation to arrest and detain an illegal alien criminal has gotten her hand slapped for punishment, receiving no prison time.

Hannah Dugan who left her job as Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge after her conviction, was merely fined $5,000 for her attempt to help a man living in the U.S. illegally avoid immigration officers.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, appointed by Bill Clinton, earlier rejected her demand for a new trial.

Dugan had issued that demand by claiming her actions fell within her judicial duties and she therefore was exempt from any punishment at all.

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Dugan was convicted of obstructing U.S. ICE officers but acquitted on the lesser charge of concealing an individual set for deportation.

The statutory sentencing guidelines included up to five years in jail for felony obstruction.

She said at her sentencing, “My acts that day were consistent with the community concerns for our state courthouse.”

She complained, “Since the government arrested me, I was forced to curb my community presence for my safety, privacy and safety and privacy of my family. For more than a year, the circumstances of this prosecution have been politicized. I’ve been cast as a scofflaw and a hero. I am neither. I am just a public servant who was trying to do my job.”

Judge Hannah Dugan (Facebook / Hannah Dugan for Judge)
Hannah Dugan

The short explanation of what she did was that when she found out that federal officers were awaiting the criminal illegal alien, who was in her court on another issues, she directed them away from the courthouse hallway, then escorted the suspect and his lawyer out of the courtroom through a back door not generally available to the public.

The alien was identified as Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, and he was apprehended nearby, despite Dugan’s manipulation.

A report at Courthousenews said, “She can be heard on courtroom audio recordings quickly rescheduling Flores-Ruiz’s case and ushering him and his attorney out of the room through the jury door to a hallway with two possible exits: a private staircase and a door to the public hallway where agents awaited.”

In their sentencing memo, prosecutors wrote that Dugan violated her judicial oath because she personally disagreed with immigration enforcement and put law enforcement and the public at risk, the report said.

Since Dugan’s conviction, WorldNetDaily has reported on two now-former court clerks in Utah who pursued the same agenda.

According to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office in Utah, Jennifer Joma, 27, and Lauren Kelsey Morrow, 26, both of Logan, Utah, have been indicted.

“According to allegations in court documents, on April 9, 2026, Joma and Morrow were working at the Logan City Municipal Justice Court in Logan when an ICE Enforcement and Removal Officer (ICE-ERO) entered the justice court to arrest an illegal alien for immigration related charges. The ICE officer had an administrative warrant for the illegal alien who was at the justice court for a court hearing,” the government statement explained.

“The ICE officer left the secure area and eventually went outside and waited in his car for his target to leave the courthouse before trying to make the lawful arrest.”

However, the government statement said, “As alleged in court documents, after Joma and Morrow learned that ICE was there to arrest an illegal alien, they took steps to identify ICE’s target. These steps included misusing court databases to determine the alienage of everyone who was listed on the court docket. During their searches, they identified multiple non-U.S. citizens, and before those non-citizens would leave the courthouse, Joma and Morrow intercepted them. ICE’s intended target was among the unauthorized aliens whom Joma and Morrow helped slip out a backdoor of the courthouse. Joma and Morrow led the individuals down a secure area, several hallways, and eventually out of the courthouse without being seen by ICE.”

NOW 2 former court clerks arrested for helping illegal aliens avoid arrest

Bob Unruh

Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is currently a news editor for the WND News Center, and also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially. Read more of Bob Unruh's articles here.


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