The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested a United States judge on Friday for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant avoid arrest, according to a now-deleted social media post by FBI Director Kash Patel.
“Just NOW, the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on charges of obstruction — after evidence of Judge Dugan obstructing an immigration arrest operation last week,” Patel announced in an X post on Friday morning.
The arrest of a state judge by the department represents a notable escalation in the administration’s ongoing clash with the judiciary.
The reason for the deletion of Patel’s post remains unclear.
The Department of Justice has yet to comment, though a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service has confirmed the arrest.
Dugan, an elected Milwaukee County circuit court judge, was reportedly under FBI investigation earlier this week, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In response to the outlet’s inquiry, she stated via email that “nearly every fact regarding the ‘tips’ in your email is inaccurate.”
“We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest,” Patel wrote. Patel said the judge’s actions “created increased danger to the public.”
The Trump administration has vowed to investigate and potentially prosecute local officials who do not comply with its broad deportation policies.
A Department of Justice memo issued in January directed U.S. Attorney’s Offices to pursue charges when deemed necessary.
In February, Trump signed an executive order instructing agency heads to ensure that federal funds were not supporting illegal immigration or “sanctuary policies that seek to shield illegal aliens from deportation.”
