A judge in the US state of Wisconsin has been found guilty of obstructing attempts to help a Mexican man evade immigration authorities during an attempted arrest.
Milwaukee County District Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April after escorting Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national facing misdemeanor charges, out of the courtroom through a side door.
An immigration judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
Her conviction marks a victory for the Trump administration and its supporters, who have sought to portray the judge's actions as evidence of a politicized justice system.
According to US media reports, Dugan faces up to five years in prison on charges of obstruction.
The judge pleaded not guilty to charges of obstructing a criminal proceeding and evading arrest, of which the jury found her not guilty.
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Flores-Ruiz appeared in a Milwaukee court April 18 for a scheduled hearing.
Six officers from the FBI, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Drug Enforcement Agency arrived in court to arrest him.
According to the FBI affidavit, Dugan became “visibly angry” about the type of arrest warrant issued and ordered the officers to appear before the chief judge.
While they were there, Dugan directed Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer to a private exit used for the jury.
And yet they failed to escape. Immigration agents caught them, and Flores-Ruiz was later deported.
“All she did was send him out into the hallway with his lawyer,” Dugan's lawyer, Stephen Biskupic, reportedly told jurors during the trial.
Following the verdict, Dugan's legal team declared her innocence.
“While we are disappointed in today's outcome, the prosecution's failure to secure convictions on both counts demonstrates that we have the opportunity to clear Judge Dugan's name and show that she did nothing wrong in this case,” they said in a statement to US media.
Reacting to the news, US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the judge “betrayed her oath” when she “obstructed federal law enforcement during an immigration enforcement operation.”
He wrote on X: “Today, a federal jury of her peers found her guilty and made it clear: The American people respect law and order. No one is above the law.”
Since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump's administration has attempted to combat illegal immigration by sending ICE agents to several US cities.
