A Wisconsin judge faces potential prison time following allegations she helped an immigrant evade federal immigration agents during a court hearing, in a case that highlights the ongoing clash between local authorities and Trump administration immigration policies.
The Sentencing and Deportation
Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, has been sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to illegally reentering the United States. US District Judge Pamela Pepper delivered the sentence during a Wednesday hearing in Milwaukee, warning Flores-Ruiz he would face harsher penalties if he ever returns to the country.
"I very much hope you can find a way to make a living back home rather than coming back here," Judge Pepper told the defendant during the proceedings.
Flores-Ruiz's attorney, Martin Pruhs, confirmed in an email that his client is currently held at Dodge County jail in Juneau, Wisconsin, awaiting deportation in "the near future". The immigrant has spent nearly seven months in custody since his arrest outside the Milwaukee county courthouse.
Judge Hannah Dugan's Alleged Involvement
The case centres around allegations against Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, who prosecutors claim helped Flores-Ruiz avoid immigration agents seeking to apprehend him during an April court appearance for unrelated state charges.
According to an FBI affidavit, Judge Dugan learned that ICE agents were in the building looking for Flores-Ruiz and showed him out of her courtroom through a door typically reserved for deputies, jurors, court staff and in-custody defendants. Although he managed to get outside, agents captured him following a foot chase.
Dugan was arrested at the courthouse a week later, and a federal grand jury indicted her in May on charges of obstruction and concealing an individual to prevent arrest. Her trial is scheduled to begin on 15 December, though she has denied any wrongdoing.
Broader Political Implications
The indictment against Judge Dugan has intensified the conflict between Donald Trump's administration and local authorities over the Republican president's sweeping immigration crackdown. Democrats have accused the Trump administration of attempting to make an example of Dugan to counter judicial opposition to their immigration policies.
Dugan's legal team has argued that she maintains the authority to conduct her courtroom as she sees appropriate, setting up a significant legal battle over judicial independence versus federal immigration enforcement.
Flores-Ruiz's Journey to America
Flores-Ruiz grew up near Michoacan, Mexico, where he worked as a fisherman and frog catcher with his father, according to pre-sentencing documents. Seeking better opportunities, he first crossed into the US from Nogales, Mexico, in 2013 at age 18, but was immediately apprehended and deported with his migrant group.
He reentered the country just days later, getting lost in the Arizona desert for a month before finding transport to Milwaukee to join relatives. Over approximately 12 years, he worked in various restaurants and food trucks throughout the area.
His legal troubles began in March when state prosecutors charged him with three counts of misdemeanor battery following an alleged altercation with his roommate. US immigration agents discovered his illegal status after the Milwaukee county jail submitted his fingerprints to federal databases.
During his sentencing hearing, Flores-Ruiz spoke through a translator, apologising for entering the United States illegally, expressing gratitude for having had the opportunity to work in the country, and promising never to return.
State prosecutors dropped two of the three battery charges against him in October after he agreed to plead no contest to the third count, receiving a time-served sentence in that case as well.
