Former Wisconsin Judge Who Was Convicted of Helping an Illegal Alien Evade ICE Gets Light Sentence
A former Wisconsin judge who was found guilty of obstructing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when agents tried to arrest an illegal immigrant will not have to go to jail.
Former Judge Hannah Dugan will be fined $5,000. Prosecutors sought a sentence of between 15 and 21 months in jail.
“I think this is a situation where an otherwise good person, upset by immigration policies in this country, made a bad decision in the moment,” U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman said, according to Fox News.
Dugan, 66, was convicted of felony obstruction last year, a charge with a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
BREAKING: Hannah Dugan, the Wisconsin judge convicted for helping an illegal alien escape ICE, receives ZERO prison time and instead is ordered to pay just a $5000 fine.
How is this justice??? pic.twitter.com/rzlSXlvPqE
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 8, 2026
Dugan sought to block agents from arresting Eduardo Flores-Ruiz on April 18, 2025. Although she was temporarily successful, agents were still able to arrest him.
Prosecutors argued Dugan’s actions were not a “momentary lapse in judgment followed by reflection or remorse,” according to WTMJ-AM.
The filing calling for jail time argued that Dugan’s “continued minimization of her conduct and persistent refusal to acknowledge wrongdoing when evaluating the need to promote respect for the law… heightens the need for the Court’s sentence to promote respect for the law and restore confidence that the justice system holds itself accountable.”
“Judges are entrusted with tremendous discretion, but there is a line they cannot cross,” the filing said.
“The defendant crossed that line. That, combined with her lack of remorse or sense of accountability, merits a sentence that reflects the serious nature of her conduct and its broader impact on the justice system,” the filing added.
Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling wrote that Dugan’s “privileged upbringing” meant she knew she should not break the law, but did it anyway, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
🚨 BREAKING: Former Milkwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan, who was convicted of FELONY OBSTRUCTION for helping an illegal evade ICE, has been sentenced to NO PRISON TIME, and just a $5,000 fine
This is a TOTAL miscarriage of justice.
Luckily, she is BARRED from being a judge ever again… pic.twitter.com/sKfotshPTB
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 8, 2026
“The defendant’s refusal to acknowledge the wrongfulness of her conduct raises legitimate concerns about respect for the law and suggests a continuing belief that her personal disagreement with federal immigration law justified her obstruction of lawful government functions,” Frohling wrote.
Dugan “placed the interests of a criminal defendant above the rights of his victims, used her colleague to unwittingly facilitate the crime, and placed law enforcement agents and members of the public in danger by undermining an arrest plan, resulting in a foot chase through moving traffic outside of the courthouse,” Frohling wrote.
Dugan defended her actions in court on Wednesday, Fox News reported.
“My acts that day were consistent with community concerns at the courthouse,” Dugan said. “My judicial acts were not done with any malicious intent or to advance any personal interests.”
“Since the government’s arrest of me, I was forced to retire… In January, I resigned from my office so the constituents would have a judge in my branch to begin the year,” she said.
“I have been cast as a scofflaw and as a hero. I am neither. I am a public servant who was just trying to do my job. Your honor, I will not let those minutes on April 18, 2025, define my life’s work,” she said.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
