Wisconsin Judge Allegedly Aids Escape in High-Profile Immigration Case

Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national, plans to plead guilty to charges of illegal reentry into the U.S., avoiding arrest briefly with a judge's help. He was captured outside a Milwaukee courthouse, and the judge, charged with obstruction, pleads not guilty. Flores-Ruiz faces deportation post-sentencing.

In a legal twist, Mexican national Eduardo Flores-Ruiz has agreed to plead guilty to charges of illegal reentry into the United States, following allegations that he temporarily avoided arrest with assistance from a Wisconsin judge.

Federal prosecutors filed a plea agreement on Monday, resolving charges against Flores-Ruiz after federal agents sought his arrest on April 18 at a Milwaukee courthouse. He appeared in court before Judge Hannah Dugan on a battery charge, with allegations that the judge misled agents and assisted in his escape through a side exit. Despite the brief evasion, Flores-Ruiz was captured outside the courthouse.

Judge Dugan faces indictment for obstruction and concealing a person wanted for arrest, charges she denies. As part of the plea deal, Flores-Ruiz is scheduled for a hearing on August 4, facing up to two years in prison and an agreement for deportation post-sentence. The U.S. Justice Department, under former President Trump, had vowed to pursue local officials interfering with immigration enforcement.