WASHINGTON — The arrest of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan has stirred up Wisconsin Democrats on Capitol Hill, especially Congresswoman Gwen Moore, who has represented Milwaukee for two decades.

What You Need To Know

  • Two Democratic members of Congress from Wisconsin have joined in a letter condemning the arrest of a Milwaukee judge on charges of helping an undocumented immigrant escape her courtroom

  • They said the arrest is part of an effort by the Trump administration to intimidate judges and infringe on their independence

  • The Department of Homeland Security says it makes sense for law enforcement to arrest undocumented immigrants in courthouses since they’ve gone through security and been screened for weapons

  • A trial date for Judge Dugan has been set for July 21

“I don’t suspect that this is going to go very far, but it’s already had a chilling impact on the judiciary,” Moore said. 

Last week, Dugan pleaded not guilty to charges that she helped an undocumented immigrant evade U.S. immigration authorities who were at her courthouse to arrest him on domestic abuse charges. A trial will begin July 21, and Dugan faces up to six years in prison if convicted on both counts. The state Supreme Court suspended Dugan from the bench.

“I am standing on the hope that the rule of law and people’s due process will prevail,” Moore said. 

Moore, Congressman Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and three other Democrats from Washington and Minnesota signed a letter to the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In it, the Congress members “express profound concern” about what they call an “alarming escalation of federal interference in state judicial proceedings.”  

“This action sends a chilling message to state judges nationwide – that their primary responsibilities and sworn oaths are secondary to federal immigration enforcement – comply or face retaliation,” they wrote. “Such tactics erode public trust in the judiciary’s independence and threaten the separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution.” 

Moore and Pocan are urging Homeland Security and immigration officials to provide more information and a timeline for the incident at the Milwaukee courthouse. They also urged them to limit courthouse enforcement to exceptional circumstances and cease efforts to intimidate or retaliate against state judges.

“The ability for law enforcement to make arrests of criminal illegal aliens in courthouses is common sense,” wrote Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement to Spectrum News. “It conserves valuable law enforcement resources because they already know where a target will be. It is also safer for our officers and the community. These illegal aliens have gone through security and been screened to not have any weapons. Secretary [Kristi] Noem is empowering law enforcement to use common sense to remove criminal illegal aliens from American communities. DHS responds to Congressional letters through official correspondence.”

Moore and Pocan said they would like to hear back within 30 days. 

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