Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Hannah Dugan, the Milwaukee judge arrested amid ICE investigation on 4/25

[moniss]

26. I think they are trying to go way beyond here because

she did not provide him some "secret way out of the courthouse" so he could evade the arrest team. The affidavit clearly states that the man in question and his lawyer were back in the public hallway and were followed by team members down the hall to the elevator and in fact one member was on the elevator with the man. They could have arrested him in the hallway or on the elevator. It sounds like they fumbled around and a few of the others went charging towards the man and he ran.

I also question this description of the phone call with the Chief Judge because they're on the phone for a considerable time yet the affidavit describes conversation that could take place in less than 2 minutes. The affiant says the agents said why they were there, the judge said he was working on a policy and the agents gave him some contact info. They were talking for a whole lot longer than that.

I don't find it unusual that a judge doesn't want a controversy and disruption to litigants and witnesses right outside the entrance doors to her court. So she escorted the man and his attorney back to a location that is down the hall from those doors and she did so through the path mentioned. She didn't "hide" him etc.

The only thing of note to me is when the affidavit says the attorney for the state didn't know about the case being continued. Is that real or not we don't know. I do have some problems with what looks like heavy reliance on the courtroom deputy saying he "thinks" this or that but wasn't really there by the clerk's side.

There have been major gaffes by the local Milwaukee ICE and FBI over some of these arrests and it sounds to me more like they want to resurrect their image here and score some points back in DC. ICE could have gone to the man's residence the day before and arrested him. It sounds to me like the Chief Judge had not wanted these things taking place in the courthouse until he had a policy in place. That to me makes perfect sense especially because ICE can effect these arrests at other locations and they do all the time. It is quite likely the Chief Judge had told the other judges he didn't want these arrests taking place in the courthouse until there was a policy in place. The County could be liable for not having a policy if ICE goes to make an arrest and something goes wrong and innocent bystanders are hurt. While a courthouse is open to the public as a matter of course the Chief Judge is responsible for policy regarding everything that takes place in that building. Not just in the courtrooms but also in the public areas.

By the fact that Dugan told them they needed to speak to the Chief Judge tells me there is a whole lot more here than the self serving write-up in the affidavit. I think because the other judge that was with Dugan was also not having this it tells me that behind the scenes after the prior gaffes there was communication and probably assurances given that ICE would not be disruptive to court proceedings. Having about 6 guys with guns hanging around outside the courtroom doors is probably quite intimidating to litigants and witnesses in other cases going in and out of the doors of that courtroom or others nearby.

Remember that ICE got major egg on their face just a couple of weeks ago for grabbing and holding people who were actually US citizens who were born in Puerto Rico. The ICE agents heard them speaking Spanish and that was good enough for them. This area, in fact most of Wisconsin, is racist as hell.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ice-says-sorry-after-detaining-us-citizens-for-speaking-spanish-report/ar-AA1y5uOh