Former Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan avoided a prison sentence after being convicted of obstructing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation to arrest a Mexican immigrant inside a courthouse. Instead, a federal judge imposed a $5,000 fine on him, in a case that has reignited the debate about the relationship between the judicial system and the immigration policies promoted by President Donald Trump.

According to AP information, federal judge Lynn Adelman considered that Dugan acted out of disagreement with the country's immigration policies, but noted that this did not justify breaking the law.

“He was a good person who made a bad decision at a certain time,” Adelman said during the sentencing hearing.

The case that pitted a judge against ICE

The events occurred on April 18, 2025, when ICE agents went to the Milwaukee County Courthouse to arrest Mexican citizen Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was facing state proceedings and was wanted by immigration authorities after having illegally re-entered the United States.

According to the indictment, Dugan confronted officers in the courthouse hallway and later allowed Flores-Ruiz to leave the courtroom through a door reserved for the jury. Although the immigrant was arrested minutes later after a foot chase, the Prosecutor's Office maintained that the actions of the then judge hindered the work of federal agents.

In December 2025, a jury found her guilty of the crime of obstruction of justice, although she was acquitted of the lesser charge related to concealing a person to avoid arrest.

Dugan assures that he was only doing his duty

During the hearing, Dugan defended his actions and stated that his only intention was to preserve order and security within the room.

"They have called me a criminal and a heroine. I am neither," declared the former judge, who assured that since the beginning of the process she has received threats that forced her to distance herself from public life.

For his part, the first assistant federal prosecutor, Brad Schimel, maintained that judges cannot hinder the work of the authorities.

“Law enforcement officers must be able to carry out their legal responsibilities in the safest manner possible,” he said.

Dugan's defense announced that it will appeal the conviction for obstruction of justice, while the case continues to be one of the most representative of the tensions between judicial authorities and the immigration policies of the Trump administration.