Wisconsin Judge Arrested

Apr 28, 2025

On Friday, April 24^th, FBI agents arrested Hannah Dugan, a Wisconsin judge, accusing her of impeding the arrest of an immigrant.

The week before, an ICE team arrived at Judge Dugan’s courtroom, seeking to pick up a defendant for deportation. Judge Dugan told members of the ICE team to speak to the head judge of the courthouse. She then allowed the defendant and his lawyer to leave her courtroom using a side door. The defendant got out of the courthouse, but was immediately caught by the ICE team.

This administration has been making a big show of deporting immigrants. Hundreds of Venezuelans were sent to a prison in El Salvador, then paraded before cameras. Many of those deported have no criminal record. They were denied any semblance of due process. They were not allowed to challenge the government’s claims before being shipped out of the country.

Several judges have contested the Trump administration’s actions in court. So far, Trump’s officials have made a show of not complying with their orders.

Now the administration is making a show of attacking a judge, whom they paint as defending an immigrant. High officials in the Justice Department gave out instructions to look for cases where local officials are getting in the way of deportations.

The Trump administration is raising the stakes by arresting and prosecuting a judge. It signals their commitment to attacking the immigrant population. This is meant to intimidate that part of the working class.

Trump’s policy is also aimed at native-born Americans. He stokes the idea that, by attacking immigrants, he will make the economy “better,” as if immigrants—instead of the capitalist class—are the source of our economic problems. All these deportations haven’t brought down the price of eggs….

The administration also seeks to test how far they can expand the “imperial presidency.” It is one more step in an authoritarian direction.