County Fight
Active-Litigation
Milwaukee County WI — Courthouse ICE Arrests and the Hannah Dugan Prosecution
Milwaukee, WI
FIPS 55079
Current status: Federal jury convicted Milwaukee Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan of felony obstruction (Dec 18, 2025) for directing an immigration target out a side door of her courtroom during a 2025 ICE courthouse operation; she resigned Jan 3, 2026. Her appeal argues a common-law privilege bars civil/ICE arrests in courthouses — a ruling that could bar ICE courthouse operations nationwide. ICE has continued courthouse arrests in Milwaukee (at least a fourth reported by early 2026), and the downtown DHS office is the busiest ICE arrest site in Wisconsin.
The Fight
Milwaukee became a national test case for two linked ICE tactics: arresting immigration targets inside the county courthouse, and operating out of the downtown Milwaukee DHS office as a collateral-arrest hub. The flashpoint was the federal prosecution of a sitting circuit judge.
The Dugan Case
- April 18, 2025: ICE agents arrived at the Milwaukee County Courthouse to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz. Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan directed him through a side door of her courtroom.
- December 18, 2025: A federal jury found Dugan guilty of a felony count of obstructing federal agents; she was acquitted of a misdemeanor charge of concealing a wanted person.
- January 3, 2026: Dugan resigned as a Wisconsin circuit judge in a letter to Gov. Tony Evers.
- February 2026: On appeal, Dugan’s attorneys argue ICE’s administrative warrant conferred no authority to arrest inside a courthouse, invoking a common-law privilege against civil arrests at courthouses that four federal district courts applied to ICE between 2020 and November 2025. Retired UW-Madison constitutional scholar Howard Schweber: a win would mean “all of these ICE operations in courthouses all over the country are unconstitutional.”
The Broader Pattern
- ICE has continued courthouse arrests in Milwaukee — the Wisconsin Examiner reported at least a fourth courthouse arrest by early 2026.
- The downtown Milwaukee DHS office is Wisconsin’s busiest ICE arrest site: at least 107 arrests between January and mid-October 2025. Notably, ~three-quarters had no pending charges or convictions (vs. 17% statewide), the signature of check-in / collateral arrests.
Why It Matters
The Dugan prosecution is one of the most aggressive federal moves against a sitting state judicial officer over immigration cooperation, and her appeal could set binding precedent on whether ICE may operate inside courthouses nationwide. Milwaukee also illustrates how a single DHS field office becomes a high-volume arrest engine independent of any detention buildout.
Sources
- Milwaukee judge found guilty on obstruction charge — CBS News (Dec 2025)
- Wisconsin judge resigns after felony conviction of obstructing ICE — JURIST (Jan 2026)
- Dugan’s attorneys argue ICE had no right to make courthouse arrest — WPR (Feb 2026)
- Dugan challenges ICE’s authority in courthouse arrest — Wisconsin Law Journal (Feb 4 2026)
- ICE makes fourth courthouse arrest in Milwaukee — Wisconsin Examiner
- Steady arrests, shifting targets: ICE activity across Wisconsin — Wisconsin Watch (Apr 2026)
This research is published at The RAMM — investigative reporting on the detention pipeline.