Milwaukee County judge in the state of Wisconsin, Hannah Dugan, was found guilty by a federal jury of obstructing federal proceedings by interfering with the actions of immigration agents during a court hearing held in April this year, according to information from the case released by US authorities.
According to the federal prosecutor’s office, Dugan facilitated the exit of Mexican Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, an illegal immigrant, through an alternative route inside the court, while agents from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) waited outside the room to arrest him.
According to the records, after being informed that federal agents were at the scene, the magistrate asked the officers to go to the county’s chief judge’s office. Then, according to the indictment, he led Flores-Ruiz down another hallway, allowing him to leave the building through a private door.
The jury acquitted Dugan of the concealment charge, but concluded that there was obstruction of the work of federal authorities, a crime that can result in a sentence of up to six years in prison, according to United States law. The sentencing hearing date has not yet been set.
The judge’s lawyer, Steve Biskupic, told the press he was disappointed with the verdict and said he did not understand how the jury acquitted Dugan of concealment, but found her guilty of obstruction, arguing that, according to the defense, the elements of the two charges were practically the same.
Prosecutor Brad Schimel denied that the process was politically motivated and defended the arrests carried out in court as safe and legal. According to him, carrying out detentions in government buildings reduces risks, since individuals go through security checks.
Dugan’s trial began on the 15th and concluded this Thursday (18th). During the trial, prosecutors maintained that the judge acted deliberately to impede the action of federal agents, while the defense claimed that Dugan merely followed the court’s internal administrative protocols.
