Wisconsin judge accused of helping man evade immigration agents expands motion to dismiss charges

MILWAUKEE (WLS) — Attorneys for a Milwaukee judge have add new details to their request drop the criminal case against her.

Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested last month. She’s accused of helping someone evade immigration authorities.

Dugan’s lawyers said her conduct was within a judge’s official acts.

The government has until June ninth to respond.

Dugan is scheduled to go on trial in July.

New video released earlier this month showed what took place last month outside the Milwaukee County courtroom.

The incident began at about 8:43 a.m. April 18, when Eduardo Flores Ruiz arrived on the sixth floor of the Milwaukee County Courthouse for a hearing in a domestic abuse case.

He met his attorney in the hallway and walked toward Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan’s courtroom.

Along the way, he passed plain-clothed federal agents who were sitting on a bench; they were there to detain him. After Flores Ruiz walked by, the agents turned to each other, and appeared to confirm his identity. But, a few moments later, Judge Dugan and another judge approached the agents sitting on the bench.

A criminal complaint against Dugan says she was alerted to their presence by a court official.

The complaint says, during this interaction, Dugan and the agents disagreed over the type of warrant they had to arrest Flores Ruiz.

According to the complaint, Dugan ordered the agents to go to the chief judge’s office; video shows her pointing them through a double door. She then turns back to speak with other agents farther down the hall, and orders them through the doors, as well. Shortly after that, Flores Ruiz and his attorney exited into the hallway through a different door.

As they walked down the hallway toward the elevators, they passed another plain-clothed federal agent neither they nor Judge Dugan seemed to notice at the time. That agent motioned to another to follow Flores Ruiz.

Security video shows Flores Ruiz exiting through a basement exit.

Upstairs on the sixth floor, the other agents were seen leaving the chief judge’s office and working their way downstairs.

Flores Ruiz left the building onto Ninth Street. Video of the street shows the agents catching up to him; Flores Ruiz runs across 10th Street, while trying to get away. But the agents arrested him.

CNN contributed to this report.

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