Judge Hannah Dugan, convicted of obstruction for helping an immigrant evade federal agents, submitted her resignation after pressure from Republicans, who threatened to remove her if she did not.

“As you know, I am the subject of an unprecedented federal legal process, which is far from over, but which presents immense and complex challenges that threaten “the independence of our judiciary,” Dugan wrote in a letter sent Saturday to Tony Evers, the Democratic governor. “I continue this fight for myself and for the independence of our judiciary. However, the citizens of Wisconsin whom I cherish deserve to begin the year with a judge on the 31st branch in Milwaukee County, rather than having the fate of that court depend on a partisan dispute in the state legislature,” she noted. In mid-December, Dugan was convicted on obstruction charges based on her providing assistance to a Mexican immigrant in evading authorities after learning of an impending arrest. Dugan’s resignation letter came amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, which has drawn widespread criticism from the left. Dugan, who served for nine years as a Milwaukee County circuit court judge, attracted national attention when immigration authorities attempted to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who is undocumented and was attending a hearing in her courtroom.

The judge confronted the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who were waiting outside the courtroom to arrest Flores-Ruiz and directed them to the presiding judge's office, according to the indictment.

While the agents were away, Dugan informed Flores-Ruiz's attorney that his client could attend his upcoming hearing via Zoom and led them through a private jury door. The agents located Flores-Ruiz and arrested him after a foot chase. Subsequently,He was sentenced to time served for illegal re-entry into the United States and deported.