Federal authorities arrest two judges, escalating Trump immigration crackdown
Federal authorities have arrested a former New Mexico judge and a Wisconsin judge in two separate cases, accusing them of interfering with Trump administration immigration enforcement efforts.
Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested Friday morning and charged with obstruction for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant evade arrest after he appeared in her courtroom last week.
Dugan’s arrest came one day after federal authorities arrested a former New Mexico judge and his wife on charges related to them reportedly harboring an undocumented immigrant with alleged ties to the notorious gang Tren de Aragua.
The actions against judges mark a sharp escalation in the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to remove undocumented immigrants from the U.S. [Continue reading…]
This is crazy. ICE didn’t have event have a warrant to arrest the guy! The judge asked for it and they said “we have an administrative warrant” (not a real warrant).
She told them to kick rock and now the FBI is charging her with obstruction the arrest ‼️
— bmeson (@bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com) April 25, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Democratic lawmakers reacted with ferocity — and some Republicans with cheers — to the Friday arrest of Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan for allegedly helping an undocumented defendant avoid arrest by ICE agents.
Why it matters: To Democrats, the arrest marks a significant escalation in President Trump’s efforts to consolidate power and use federal law enforcement to crush legal obstacles to his agenda.
- “It is remarkable that the Administration would dare to start arresting state court judges,” said House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). “It’s a whole new descent into government chaos.”
- “The Trump administration again is breaking norms in how it’s dealing with immigration, the legal system, and normalcy. … This is stuff I expect from Third World countries,” Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) told Axios.
- Said Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio): “They arrested a judge?! They can no longer claim to be a party of law and order. This will have to be a red line for congressional Republicans. Unbelievable.”