Eduardo Flores-Ruiz — a 31-year-old Mexican national with a rap sheet full of violent charges — has finally been deported from the United States, despite Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan allegedly sneaking him out of her courtroom through a side door back in April.
Dugan is accused of helping Flores-Ruiz — who, according to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, has prior charges including “strangulation and suffocation, battery and domestic abuse” — evade waiting ICE agents. She now faces federal charges for obstructing a proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent arrest, and has been suspended by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
In the end, her effort to shield a violent illegal immigrant went nowhere. Flores-Ruiz is gone. Adios, muchacho:
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the removal of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico who was arrested in April, despite a judge attempting to help him evade arrest,” a press release on the department website says.
McLaughlin touted DHS efforts to remove the illegal alien: “Thanks to the brave men and women of ICE law enforcement, this criminal is OUT of our country. If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you, and remove you from our country,” she stated. “That’s a promise.”
A promise made and, we see, a promise being kept – by President Trump.
The DHS press release — along with several pointed social media posts — doesn’t mince words about Judge Dugan. In fact, officials all but spell it out: her alleged attempt to shield a dangerous illegal alien blew up in her face. Instead of stopping Flores-Ruiz’s removal, all she accomplished was reminding the nation why soft-on-crime judges have become a liability. And it could cost her freedom.
“Judge Hannah Dugan’s actions to obstruct this violent criminal’s arrest take ‘activist judge’ to a whole new meaning,” McLaughlin said.
“Judge Dugan intentionally directed ICE agents away from this criminal illegal alien to obstruct the arrest and try to help him evade arrest,” the DHS release noted. “Thankfully, our law enforcement chased down this violent illegal alien and arrested him.”
That’s a failure for the judge on multiple levels.
A federal grand jury indicted Dugan in May on the obstruction and concealment charges. Her legal defense claims “she is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts,” something George Washington Law School Professor Jonathan Turley has swatted down as “hard to understand.”
Also, U.S. District Judge Lynne Adelman later rejected a motion for dismissal. Her trial is scheduled to begin in mid-December.
The charges could land this activist judge behind bars for up to six years, along with a potential $350,000 fine. In other words, Judge Dugan may now get a firsthand look at the justice system she tried to undermine.
So after all the chaos, all the legal risk, and all the grandstanding, the bottom line is this: the violent criminal she allegedly helped sneak out the side door got deported anyway. She may end up paying a steep price — financially, professionally, and possibly criminally — for an effort that accomplished absolutely nothing.
Nice work, Judge. Hope the attempted stunt was worth it.