Judge’s arrest was sending a message

In a move entirely intended to send a message, Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan, 65, was led from the Milwaukee courthouse in handcuffs last Friday on charges she tried to help an undocumented immigrant avoid arrest by federal ICE agents.

The message came through loud and clear. Get in our way or suffer the consequences. Welcome to life in America in 2025. Anyone who has been paying attention in the past 100 days, or in the years before that, is aware that the leaders in the current administration have no problem saying the quiet parts out loud. If anything, the current administration embraces brash showmanship and bravado. It is this sort of showmanship that causes supporters to cheer. Finally, they say, there is someone doing something. For those who respect due process and the rule of law, the words and actions of this administration are unsettling and deeply concerning.

What gets lost in the showmanship and security theater of ICE arrests at courthouses, schools, churches and hospitals is any sort of decency or humanity. In place of due process, something constitutionally guaranteed by the 5th and 14th amendments, regardless of citizenship status, there is intimidation and profound overreach.

There is no doubt that undocumented immigrants who commit violent crimes should be arrested, detained and deported. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. According to the statistics on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s own website, a majority of detentions are due to a catch-all “other immigration violator,” category with the criminal convictions or pending criminal charges categories tiny by comparison.

Instead of going after the heavy hitters, ICE agents seem more focused on padding their arrest counts by picking the proverbial low hanging fruit by lurking in courthouse hallways with administrative warrants.

Even more disturbing is the direction from the U.S. Department of Justice invoking the Alien Enemies Act to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents the power to conduct warrantless searches of people’s homes as long as they suspect them to be an “alien enemy.”

There have been a number of high profile incidents in recent years that have taken place nationally where law enforcements have raided the wrong homes, leading to the deaths of innocent people. Warrantless home raids based on “suspicion” alone, rather than a judicial review of facts, is deeply troubling for anyone regardless of their citizenship status.

It will be up to a grand jury to determine if the federal government’s case against Judge Dugan has shown probable cause to believe a crime was committed and issue an indictment. If indicted, Judge Dugan’s case will then go to trial or settlement phase, a process that could drag on for months or even years.

Whatever the eventual legal outcome, Dugan’s arrest has sent the clear message that those who stand up to the current administration and its agents will suffer for their actions.

The Central Wisconsin Publications Editorial Board consists of publisher Kris O’Leary and editor Brian Wilson.