The US attorney’s office in Milwaukee declined to comment Tuesday evening. Dugan’s defence team issued a brief statement, saying she maintains her innocence. She is scheduled to enter a plea on Thursday.

The indictment escalates tensions between local courts and federal immigration authorities under President Donald Trump’s ongoing immigration crackdown.

Defendant with past deportation

According to court documents, the incident took place on April 18 in Dugan’s courtroom, where Eduardo Flores-Ruiz was present for a hearing related to three misdemeanor domestic abuse charges filed in March. Flores-Ruiz had been deported in 2013 but had reentered the country illegally.

The affidavit claims that Dugan was informed by her clerk that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were present in the courthouse seeking Flores-Ruiz’s arrest. The judge allegedly responded by leaving the bench visibly angry, calling the agents’ presence “absurd,” and later confronting them alongside another judge.

After demanding that the agents speak with the chief judge, Dugan is said to have returned to her courtroom, told Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer “wait, come with me,” and led them out through a back jury door typically reserved for staff and in-custody defendants.

Following the charges, the Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan from the bench in late April, citing the need to preserve public confidence in the judiciary. A reserve judge has since been appointed to take over her docket.

(With inputs from AP)