Already, a former judge in New Mexico and his wife have been arrested for housing an alleged member of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua terror organization, and a Wisconsin judge has been charged for helping an illegal alien escape from federal agents who arrived at the courthouse during his hearing to take him into custody.
That’s probably not the end of actions against activist judges who use their judicial powers to thwart the president’s border security agenda, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi
“No one’s above the laws in this country,” she said. “And if you are destroying evidence, if you’re obstructing justice, when you have victims sitting in a courtroom of domestic violence and you’re escorting a criminal defendant out a back door, it will not be tolerated, and it is a crime in the United States of America. Doesn’t matter who you are, you’re going to be prosecuted.”
Pam Bondi on judges arrested for alleged interference with immigration enforcement: “No one is above the law.” pic.twitter.com/6YABhh0u5Y
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 25, 2025
The latest arrest was of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan, who was taken into custody by the FBI for allegedly hiding a previously deported illegal immigrant in her jury room in order to stop him from being arrested by ICE.
This judge broke her oath to uphold the law https://t.co/tjlPThrfyW
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2025
Fox News reported Dugan was charged with obstruction.
In an interview on “American Reports,” Bondi explained how the Trump administration will handle judges who obstruct and block federal efforts to secure the border and remove illegal aliens.
“We are going to prosecute you, and we are prosecuting you. I found out about this the day it happened,” she said.
“We could not believe, actually, that a judge really did that. We looked into the facts in great depth… You cannot obstruct a criminal case. And really, shame on her. It was a domestic violence case of all cases, and she’s protecting a criminal defendant over victims of crime.”
Dugan is accused of protecting illegal alien Eduardo Flores-Ruiz after his criminal court hearing before Dugan just days ago.
“Dugan demanded that the (federal) officers proceed to the chief judge’s office and – after his hearing ended – escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a restricted jury door, bypassing the public area where agents were waiting in order to help him avoid arrest, per the complaint,” the report said.
Bondi pointed out then Flores-Ruiz fled on foot, creating a threat to the public.
“We’re sending a very strong message today,” she said. “If you are harboring a fugitive, we don’t care who you are. If you’re helping hide one, if you are giving a TDA member guns, anyone who is illegally in this country, we will come after you and we will prosecute you. We will find you.”
The earlier arrests were of ex-New Mexico Magistrate Judge Joel Cano, and his wife, Nancy Cano.
They allegedly harbored suspected Tren de Aragua terror group member Cristhian Ortega-Lopez.