Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, defended the Trump administration’s arrest of a Wisconsin judge accused of helping an undocumented immigrant avoid arrest by federal agents.
Why It Matters
Last week, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for allegedly helping Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a 30-year-old Mexican national in court on battery charges, exit her courtroom when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers showed up to arrest him, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Since beginning his second term, President Donald Trump has rolled out an aggressive immigration agenda, which has included mass deportations and a shift toward stricter enforcement and fewer legal immigration pathways. The sweeping actions have reignited debate not only about immigration policy, but also about who gets to stay in the U.S. and under what conditions.
As a result, the Trump administration has clashed with judges at all levels over immigration policies and enforcement since Inauguration Day.
Dugan’s arrest sparked criticism from Trump opponents who say she was unjustly arrested and viewed the move as an attack on the judicial system. Others, however, said they believed her alleged actions constituted obstruction of an ICE arrest.
What to Know
Cornyn, who is up for reelection in 2026, weighed in on the arrest during an interview on Fox News on Monday morning.
“In America, no one is above the law, including public officials and judges, and I say that as a former Texas state judge myself for 13 years, so this is pretty egregious stuff,” he said.
Trump is “following through” on his campaign promises to enforce immigration laws, the senator said, adding that he supports that “wholeheartedly.”
“If it means that people, including elected officials like judges, are obstructing the law and obstructing that process, they should be investigated, and they should be prosecuted,” he said. “This sounds like a case of misplaced sympathy by those who are somehow saying the judge is being treated unfairly.”
When reached by Newsweek for additional comment, a Cornyn spokesperson referred to his comments in the interview.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Flores-Ruiz had already been deported from the U.S. once and that ICE agents arrived at the Milwaukee courthouse to detain him.
When Dugan learned about their presence, she allegedly directed him and his attorney out of a side door leading to a private space that exits into a public hallway. He was arrested after a chase.
An FBI affidavit described Dugan as “visibly angry” over the arrival of immigration agents in the courthouse and says that she pronounced the situation “absurd” before leaving the bench and retreating to her chambers. It says she and another judge later approached members of the arrest team inside the courthouse, displaying what witnesses described as a “confrontational, angry demeanor.”
Dugan is facing charges of “concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest” and obstructing or impeding a proceeding. She appeared briefly in federal court on Friday before being released from custody.
“Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety,” her attorney, Craig Mastantuono, said during the hearing.
The charges against Dugan could carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and up to $350,000 in fines.
What People Are Saying
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, in a statement: “In this country, people who are suspected of criminal wrongdoing are innocent until their guilt is proven beyond reasonable doubt and they are found guilty by a jury of their peers—this is the fundamental demand of justice in America.
“Unfortunately, we have seen in recent months the president and the Trump Administration repeatedly use dangerous rhetoric to attack and attempt to undermine our judiciary at every level, including flat-out disobeying the highest court in the land and threatening to impeach and remove judges who do not rule in their favor.”
Representative Mark Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat, on X: “Judge Dugan’s arrest is outrageous and a fear tactic to our independent judiciary. Trump has always thought he was above the law, but now he’s enabling his goons to push that limit as far as it can go. His reckless deportations and flaunting of the Constitution will fail.”
Representative Scott Fitzgerald, a Wisconsin Republican, on X: “Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan allegedly helped an illegal alien evade arrest by ICE. This is an egregious abuse of power by someone sworn to uphold the law. No one—especially a judge—should interfere with federal immigration enforcement.”
What Happens Next?
Dugan’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 15.
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