MILWAUKEE (NewsNation) — Prosecutors played audio recordings Monday as they tried to show jurors a Wisconsin judge knew what was at stake last spring when she directed an immigrant to a private door while federal agents were in the courthouse to arrest the man.
“I’ll get the heat,” Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan told her court reporter as they discussed who would assist Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, according to courtroom audio.
Dugan is on trial for obstruction and concealment, an extraordinary consequence of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
There is no dispute that Dugan directed Flores-Ruiz to leave her courtroom through a private door after telling immigration agents to speak with the chief judge about trying to arrest him. The door led to a public corridor at the courthouse.
While agents were away, Dugan quickly set a new hearing date for Flores-Ruiz and told him he could attend via Zoom, the audio showed. He was facing a misdemeanor battery crime.
“They did not expect a judge, sworn to uphold the law, would divide their arrest team and impede their efforts to do their jobs,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Alexander told the jury in federal court in Milwaukee.
Flores-Ruiz, 31, was arrested outside the county courthouse after a foot chase and deported months later.
Defense attorney Steven Biskupic said the judge had no intention of obstructing agents. He said other agents who were in the courthouse hallway decided not to arrest Flores-Ruiz when he emerged through the door and instead pursued him outdoors.
“Now, after the fact, everyone wants to blame Judge Dugan,” Biskupic told the jury.
The government’s case is expected to run through at least Thursday, with roughly two dozen witnesses lined up to testify. The first was FBI agent Erin Lucker, who explained a video showing the back corridors of the courthouse and Dugan signaling to immigration officers to see Chief Judge Carl Ashley.
The maximum sentence for the more serious charge, obstruction, is five years in prison, though federal judges have much discretion to go lower.
Flores-Ruiz reentered the U.S. just days after his first deportation and reached Milwaukee, The Associated Press reported. He worked in the restaurant industry for almost 12 years.
Following an alleged fight with his roommate, the migrant was charged with three counts of misdemeanor battery. During his hearing before Dugan on April 18, federal immigration enforcement officers planned to arrest him, according to the AP. The judge reportedly led him through a courtroom door and outside before he was chased and detained.
Days later, Dugan was arrested by the FBI and later indicted in connection with the incident. She was charged with obstructing a proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent their arrest. Following her arraignment where she pleaded not guilty, she was released from custody.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court temporarily suspended Dugan after her initial arrest, writing that “it is in the public interest that she be temporarily relieved of her official duties.”
NewsNation affiliate The Hill and The Associated Press contributed to this report.