Overview
- U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman denied Dugan’s motion on Tuesday, June 16, upholding her December felony conviction for obstructing an ICE arrest at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
- Prosecutors say Dugan led Eduardo Flores‑Ruiz and his attorney out a private jury door on April 18, 2025, after ICE agents sought to arrest him on an immigration warrant and Flores‑Ruiz was later deported.
- Adelman rejected the defense reliance on the Fourth Circuit’s United States v. Hernandez decision by finding key factual differences and noting ICE can issue administrative warrants and reinstate removal orders without court adjudication.
- Dugan faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison, though federal guidelines and her lack of prior record make probation more likely; sentencing has not been rescheduled and her lawyers plan to appeal to the Seventh Circuit.
- The case has become an early federal test of how courts treat clashes between local judges and stepped‑up immigration enforcement and could produce further appellate guidance on the scope of the obstruction statute.