Apparently, when Democrats and the media said “nobody is above the law,” they had some exceptions in mind.
One of the talking heads on CNN seemed visibly upset over a report on Friday that Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested on charges that she assisted an illegal alien, accused of domestic violence, evade arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Last week, Dugan allegedly intentionally misdirected federal agents as they attempted to detain Eduardo Flores Ruiz at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.But some at CNN did not appear to take the news of the arrest the same way they took the raid of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home or any of his court cases.
“This is something that we have certainly not seen before, but appears to be part of this aggressive approach the Trump administration has toward immigration,” CNN’s Katelyn Polantz said during the Friday segment as she reported on the arrest.
She said that “it would be a startling development if this judge was arrested as she was working on the bench as a judge handling an immigration case or a case of a person that ICE was also interested in.”
Anchor Wolf Blitzer said that it was “very dramatic and significant indeed.”
The Justice Department put out a press release regarding the arrest.
“The Justice Department today announced federal criminal charges in two separate cases involving the alleged obstruction of federal law enforcement operations and unlawful concealment of individuals residing illegally in the United States,” the DOP release said regarding Dugan’s arrest and that of now-former New Mexico judge, Joel Cano, who was charged with harboring an illegal alien gang member and providing him with access to firearms.
“The allegations against Judge Dugan and Judge Cano are serious: no one, least of all a judge, should obstruct law enforcement operations,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “Doing so imperils the safety of our law enforcement officers and undermines the rule of law. The Department of Justice will continue to follow the facts — no one is above the law.”
“Sanctuary jurisdictions that shield criminal aliens endanger American communities,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said. “This Justice Department will not stand by as local officials put politics over public safety. Reckless sanctuary city policies create a sanctuary for one class—criminals. Those days are over.The press release said that Dugan engaged in “alleged interference with a federal law enforcement operation and unlawful concealment of an individual subject to arrest.”
“According to court documents, the charges stem from events occurring on April 18, when members of the Milwaukee office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), along with federal partners from the FBI, DEA, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, attempted to execute a lawful arrest warrant for Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national previously removed from the United States and recently charged in Milwaukee County with multiple counts of domestic abuse-related battery,” the press release said.
“According to court documents, federal agents arrived at the Milwaukee County Courthouse intending to arrest Flores-Ruiz in a public hallway following his court appearance before Judge Dugan. Upon learning of the agents’ presence in the hallway, Judge Dugan allegedly confronted and ordered federal agents to leave the courthouse,” the release added.
“After being made aware of a valid immigration arrest warrant, Judge Dugan told agents that they needed a judicial warrant and demanded that they go to the Chief Judge’s office. Once the agents were no longer in the vicinity of her courtroom, Judge Dugan allegedly elected not to conduct a hearing on Flores-Ruiz’s criminal case, despite the fact that victims of his offense were present, and instead personally escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a restricted ‘jury door’ exit not typically used by defendants or attorneys,” it continued.
“This doorway led to a non-public hallway through which Flores-Ruiz and his attorney exited her courtroom. According to the affidavit, Judge Dugan’s actions directly resulted in Flores-Ruiz temporarily avoiding federal custody. He was ultimately arrested outside the courthouse, following a brief foot pursuit,” it said.
“Dugan is charged with obstruction of proceedings before a department or agency of the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and concealing a person to prevent arrest, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison,” it said.