U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi assailed the “deranged” Milwaukee judge who was arrested Friday and charged with obstruction of a federal immigration operation, vowing that it won’t be tolerated from any judge, Axios reported.
Bondi’s remarks came hours after the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan for allegedly aiding an illegal migrant to avoid arrest.
“What has happened to our judiciary is beyond me,” Bondi said. “The [judges] are deranged is all I can think of. I think some of these judges think that they are beyond and above the law. They are not, and we are sending a very strong message today … if you are harboring a fugitive … we will come after you and we will prosecute you. We will find you.”
The alleged incident took place on April 18. Chief Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Carl Ashley emailed judges to say Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents came to the Milwaukee County Courthouse with an arrest warrant.
Dugan reportedly directed ICE agents to Ashley’s office, and then allowed the defendant to leave the courtroom through a side door, down a private hallway and into a public area.
The incident was at least the third time in recent months federal immigration agents came to the Milwaukee courthouse to make arrests. Two people were arrested by ICE officials in the hallways of the courthouse, one each in March and early April.
“If you are destroying evidence, if you are obstructing justice … it will not be tolerated,” Bondi said.
Pace University Law Professor Bennett Gershman told Axios that Judge Dugan’s arrest doesn’t set precedent because her alleged actions are a federal crime. Gershman noted, however, that the Trump administration is using “every weapon” at its disposal.
“It shows that immigrants who must appear in court to answer charges, even very minor ones, are sitting ducks for ICE agents, and it likely places many immigrants in a terrible choice between appearing in court, which they are legally required to do, and potentially getting arrested, or not appearing and facing new charges or bench warrant for failure to appear,” Gershman told Axios.