(The Center Square) – The arrest of a Wisconsin judge could be just the start.
Former Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director and border czar Tom Homan said “wait to see what’s coming” when he was asked Thursday what should happen to sanctuary cities and specifically what should occur in Wisconsin, where Gov. Tony Evers and the state Department of Administration sent out a memo asking state employees not to answer questions from federal agents, give access to systems or information, and to call the state Office of Legal Counsel if approached.
“You cannot support what we’re doing and you can support sanctuary cities if that’s what you want to do,” Homan said. “But if you cross that line of impediment or knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that is a felony. And we are treating it as such.”
A group of 41 Wisconsin Assembly Republicans sent a letter this week to Evers requesting that he rescind the memo.
“As the Trump administration continues its efforts to deport thousands of non-citizens who entered our country illegally during the Biden administration, our caucus believes it is imperative that our laws reflect the need for local law enforcement to comply with these efforts,” the letter said.
The letter also referenced the Friday arrest of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan on accusations that she helped a defendant who was illegally in the country escape from immigration officials.
Dugan is accused of concealing Eduardo Flores Ruiz, who was previously deported and came back to the U.S., where he was facing charges in Milwaukee of domestic battery and abuse.
Dugan was suspended this week by the Wisconsin Supreme Court after being charged with obstruction of a federal proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent discovery or arrest. The obstruction charge could result in up to a $100,000 fine and a year in prison, while the second concealment charge can result in up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

(The Center Square) – Add Milwaukee County’s executive to the list of leaders in Wisconsin criticizing the Trump Administration’s latest cuts.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley joined a chorus of other Democrats in the state in saying the president’s cuts to the AmeriCorps program will hurt.
“Simply put, we need AmeriCorps to build up stronger, healthier communities that Milwaukee County residents deserve. However, it’s clear the Trump Administration and DOGE disagree. The news that AmeriCorps programs across the nation are now being terminated is not just a policy decision. It’s a deeply personal attack, leaving many without access to the services and support they rely on,” Crowley said in a statement.
Crowley said he worked in the AmeriCorps Public Allies program and said that’s “where I learned the foundation of community organizing and found my calling as a public servant.”
The Trump Administration canceled $400 million worth of AmeriCorps grants across the country.
No one is saying just how much of the money was earmarked for projects in Wisconsin. The state’s AmeriCorps managers, though, said all 25 AmeriCorps programs in the state have been canceled.
“Here at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, AmeriCorps members are instrumental in helping people navigate a complex legal system, making sure they arrive on time, fully prepared for their court hearings. Because of these detrimental cuts, the Milwaukee Justice Center will now struggle to provide critical information and assistance to members of the public accessing local services, further increasing court backlogs, decreasing governmental efficiency, and driving up costs for everyone,” Crowley added.
Other Democrats, including Gov. Tony Evers and several state lawmakers, leveled the same criticism.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin taxpayers will see a tax increase of, on average, $2,229 per filer if the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires Jan. 1, according to a new report from the National Taxpayers Union.
If the bill expires, it would increase taxes for 80% of Americans, the report says.
The largest tax increases would hit people in Massachusetts ($4,848 annual tax increase), Washington ($4,567) and California ($3,768).
If the cuts are extended, it is projected to cost the federal government about $4 trillion in revenue.
If the legislation expires, it will cut in half the federal standard deduction, reduce child tax credits, reintroduce higher federal tax brackets and lower the threshold for federal estate taxes while cutting several business tax benefits.
“Wisconsin does not adopt full expensing business investments,” the report says. “State policymakers could adopt 100% full expensing regardless of whether federal full expensing is renewed.”
If the cuts expire, individual and business taxes would go up $500 billion each year while reducing the federal gross domestic product 1.1% and wages by 0.5%, the report says.

(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty’s president is out with a new piece that says Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan violated one of the most basic principles of our Democracy if the federal charges against her are true.
“The issue is institutional fidelity,” Esenberg wrote on X Wednesday. “A ‘independent judiciary’ does imply an unfettered power to do whatever a judge thinks is ‘right.’”
Esenberg and WILL’s Dan Lennington co-wrote a piece for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel where they talk about how Dugan is accused of helping a Mexican foreign national charged with battery escape her courtroom to avoid ICE agents.
“There is a time and a place to express opposition to President [Donald] Trump’s immigration policies or the way some of them are being executed,” the two wrote in their op-ed. “But respect for democracy includes respect for the laws that our elected representatives have enacted. It means honoring the rule of law and not simply ignoring laws that we do not like.”
Esenberg has been critical of Dugan since her arrest last week, but not because of her opposition to President Trump’s deportation plans. Instead, Esenberg has criticized Dugan for injecting her politics into her role as a local judge.
“It’s only one case, but a state court judge obstructing federal law enforcement is interposition. It’s not normal. It’s not proper,” Esenberg wrote Monday. “I understand that [the] judge may not like border enforcement or the way in which the administration goes about it. But that’s not her call.”
In his Wednesday tweets, however. Esenberg also criticized Trump’s handling of immigration rulings from the court that the president disagrees with.
Ironically, overstepping this way in not unlike what the Trump is doing in ignoring due process requirements. He thinks that the presence of millions of people in the country unlawfully is, to use Dugan’s word regarding immigration enforcement, ‘absurd’,” Eseberg wrote. “He thinks that the limitations on his power to do what the believes to be right are unjust. But our democracy doesn’t work that way.”
Dugan is looking at two federal charges, including one felony.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended her but made a point to say that Dugan is on paid administrative leave.

(The Center Square) – A group of four proposed Wisconsin laws dubbed the Red Tape Reset would reduce regulations in state statute and lead to increase the state’s gross domestic product.
The proposed laws include regulatory sunsetting, regulatory budgeting, a one rule per scope statement and a proposal challenging the validity of administrative rules.
Both Americans for Prosperity – Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty announced support for the proposals Wednesday.
A recent WILL study estimates that a 20% reduction in regulatory restrictions in the state would increase Wisconsin’s economy by $23 billion by 2037.
“Wisconsin is the 13th most regulated state in the nation, and it risks falling behind neighboring states if reforms are not implemented,” said Patrick A. McLaughlin, a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Pacific Legal Foundation who worked with WILL on the report. In this report we highlight the true economic costs of red tape and how systematic regulatory reform not only increases GDP growth but also fosters innovation, creates jobs, and enhances competitiveness.”
Wisconsin currently has 165,000 restrictions in state law.
The sunsetting bill would require all chapters of administrative code to be reviewed, updated or allowed to expire every seven years and does not allow restrictions to continue indefinitely.
“By requiring regular review and offering opportunities for public input, this reform creates a more modern, responsive, and balanced regulatory framework,” said Rep. Adam Neylon, R-Pewaukee.
The budgeting bill requires any new administrative code regulation with an economic impact to be offset by the repeal or revision of existing regulations of equal or greater impact.
“We want to grow the size of Wisconsin’s economy – not its rulebook,” said Sen. Julian Bradley, R-New Berlin. “This bill aims to reduce red tape, increase efficiency, and create a better environment for innovation and entrepreneurship.”
The single scope bill blocks allowing agencies to use a single scope statement to create multiple regulations over time.
The challenge bill would require courts to award attorney fees and costs to plaintiffs who successfully challenge unlawful administrative rules.
“While the Court eliminated the Chevron Doctrine that gave bureaucratic acts a presumption of constitutionality, victims of unconstitutional regulatory domination still oftentimes face an insurmountable battle for their rights due to process costs,” Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Oconto, said in a statement. “Bureaucracies know that litigating motions, trials, and appeals are expensive, and a defendant may just comply or settle as an economic decision even though they are right in the law.
“LRB 0568 will make Wisconsinites more confident in the law, since demanding rights won’t bankrupt them and bureaucracies will face a penalty if they refuse to respect Constitutional Rights.”

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Assembly Republican leadership is asking Gov. Tony Evers to rescind a memo from the Department of Administration asking state employees not to answer questions from a federal agent, give access to systems or information and to call the state Office of Legal Counsel.
“Today, we ask that you rescind this guidance to avoid future conflicts between state and federal authorities, to assist our brave men and women in law enforcement, and to ensure the Trump administration’s goal of deporting violent illegal immigrants is given the full assistance of the state of Wisconsin,” the Republican letter said.
It was signed by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Majority Leader Tyler August and, in total, 41 Republicans from the Assembly.
The letter cites the arrest of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan for allegedly assisting Eduardo Flores-Ruiz to avoid being arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside of a Milwaukee County courtroom.
“It’s our understanding that your administration has issued guidance to state officials to impede the work of federal authorities,” the Republican letter said. “The guidance directs state officials to, among other things, not answer questions, not give access to files, and not give consent to enter non-public areas, even when presented with a lawful warrant.”
Earlier this week, Vos called the memo a scare tactic from Democrats aimed at scaring state employees about ICE agents.
“As the Trump administration continues its efforts to deport thousands of non-citizens who entered our country illegally during the Biden administration, our caucus believes it is imperative that our laws reflect the need for local law enforcement to comply with these efforts,” the letter said.

(The Center Square) – Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has the right to arrest individuals in the halls of the Milwaukee County Courthouse on an administrative warrant, as agents were attempting to do when judge Hannah Dugan is accused of interfering.
Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley confirmed to a group of reporters that judges have “limitations on what we can do.”
“We don’t have control in the public hallways,” Ashley said. “A administrative warrant is a warrant that can be effectuated in the public hallway. A judicial warrant has more authority, you can go into private areas. But what we’re trying to work out is a process where there can be respect for the courtroom and what we’re doing but allow the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to do what they need to do as well.”
Ashley said that he cannot comment specifically on what occurred in Dugan’s case.
Dugan is charged with obstruction and concealing an individual to prevent his discovery or arrest, charges that could lead to up to five years in prison, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
Dugan allegedly aided defendant Eduardo Flores Ruiz, who was previously deported and came back to the U.S., where he was facing charges in Milwaukee of domestic battery and abuse.
FBI Special Agent Lindsay Schloemer wrote in the complaint against Dugan that law enforcement often makes arrests at the courthouse because “not only the fact that law enforcement knows the location at which the wanted individual should be located but also the fact that the wanted individual would have entered through a security checkpoint and thus unarmed, minimizing the risk of injury to law enforcement, the public, and the wanted individual.”
Ashley said that the court would like to support the community but also do what is appropriate at the courthouse.
“We just want to stay in our lane and be transparent with the community on what we can do and what we can’t,” Ashley told reporters, referencing a draft policy on how judges should handle those situations at the courthouse.
After Dugan learned that ICE was prepared to arrest Flores-Ruiz after an April 18 pretrial hearing, she was described in the complaint as “visibly angry, commented that the situation was ‘absurd,’ left the bench, and entered chambers.”
Dugan is then accused of postponing the hearing, even though victims in the case were present, because of the planned ICE arrest. Dugan is then accused of escorting Flores Ruiz through a jury door to avoid his arrest.
Flores-Ruiz was able to exit the courthouse but was then arrested after a chase on foot outside of the courthouse.
Dugan was then arrested on Friday morning in Milwaukee after charged before being released. She was suspended on Monday by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
“We are all concerned about how it all transpired,” Ashley told reporters. “That’s not a comfortable situation for any person to have an experience like that and whether that process was necessary or not.”

(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended a Milwaukee judge facing two federal charges for allegedly trying to help a man illegally in the country escape from immigration officials.
The order, released late Tuesday, said Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan faces two federal charges – one a felony and one a misdemeanor – and it is in the public interest to relieve her of her duties temporarily.
“The court is charged in the Wisconsin Constitution with exercising superintending and administrative authority of the courts of this state. In the exercise of that constitutional authority and in order to uphold the public’s confidence in the courts of this state during the pendency of the criminal proceeding against Judge Dugan, we conclude, on our own motion, that it is in the public interest that she be temporarily relieved of her official duties,” the order reads.
Dugan is charged with obstruction of a federal proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent discovery or arrest. The obstruction charge could result in up to a $100,000 fine and a year in prison, while the second concealment charge can result in up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The defendant is accused of concealing Eduardo Flores Ruiz, who was previously deported and came back to the U.S., where he was facing charges in Milwaukee of domestic battery and abuse.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Lindsay Schloemer wrote in the complaint against Dugan that law enforcement often makes arrests at the courthouse because “not only the fact that law enforcement knows the location at which the wanted individual should be located but also the fact that the wanted individual would have entered through a security checkpoint and thus unarmed, minimizing the risk of injury to law enforcement, the public, and the wanted individual.”

(The Center Square) – It is shaping up to be a busy summer in some of Milwaukee’s oldest school buildings.
Milwaukee Public School’s new Lead Action Plan states the district will try and at least touch-up the lead paint at all schools built before 1978 for before school starts in September.
“The district will identify high priority schools, with the goal of completing lead remediation at these schools before the start of the 2025-26 school year,” the plan states. “Some schools, based on inspection and priority, will be completed before the end of the current school year.”
MPS released its action plan the same day it closed two more schools.
That means Milwaukee has four schools closed because of dangerously high lead levels. A fifth school just reopened Friday after about a month of cleanup.
MPS’ Lead Action Plan also lays out the process for closing schools in the future.
“For a full school building closure: This action will be taken when visual inspection checklists indicate that more than 50% of painted surfaces or greater than 50% of the rooms [test positive for elevated lead levels],” the plan notes. “For a partial school-building closure: This action will be taken when visual inspection checklists indicate that between 10% and 50% of painted surfaces are deteriorated.”
In both cases, students and teachers will be sent to lead-free, or less-leaded classrooms.
MPS figures it has a little more than 100 school buildings that were built before 1978, including 54 schools built before 1950, and 52 schools built between 1950 and 1978. MPS has said it hopes to clear all 106 schools by the end of the calendar year.
MPS is also planning to hire a lead-risk assessor and a field inspector to help track MPS’ lead problems. The district, however, will have to rely on outside cleaning and painting crews for almost all of the work.
There’s no price tag either for the two new district hires, or the third-party companies.
To date, MPS said it has spent $2 million on lead clean up and painting.

(The Center Square) – An Illinois appellate court judge says the arrest of Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan was “reminiscent of King George, Hitler and Mussolini.” An Illinois constitutional attorney disagrees.
Judge James Knecht criticized the Trump administration’s heavy-handed courthouse arrest of Dugan.
“The administration practiced jack booted, ham handed, procedures to arrest Judge Dugan at the courthouse. Reminiscent of King George, Hitler and Mussolini,” Knecht wrote.
David Shestokas, a constitutional attorney who ran in the Republican primary for Illinois Attorney General, accused Dugan of defying federal authority by helping an illegal immigrant avoid Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
“The problem is, she just exhibited her own disrespect for the authority of the federal government. In terms of providing her with your typical kind of nonviolent courtesy, you know, we’ll give you a call and you can come and turn yourself in sort-of-thing. She had just demonstrated her own disrespect for the federal officers,” said Shestokas.
Knecht called the arrest an “overreach.” He suggested the proper approach would have been to contact Dugan’s chief judge, the court administrator, and Wisconsin’s chief justice to clarify how state judges should interact with ICE.
“Am I asking for a judge to receive special treatment? No – Judge Dugan is being used as an example to strike fear into the heart of state authorities, judges included,” stated Knecht. “The state judiciary and the federal authorities are obligated to cooperate. One does not encourage such cooperation by arresting a judge to punish her for what may have been a mistake in judgment, or a reaction to the furor over immigration policy.”
Shestokas said physically arresting the judge is a bit unusual.
“[The federal authorities] were clearly interested in sending a message … that it didn’t matter who you are or what position you hold,” said Shestokas. “If, in fact, you aided and abetted someone who was lawfully to be detained by ICE and you interfered with that, you’ve broken the law and you’re subject to arrest.”
Dugan allegedly led Mexican national Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer out a restricted jury door to avoid ICE agents, a route the judge controls, according to Shestokas.
Knecht said on social media that he usually sleeps peacefully. However, he suggested he was awake thinking about Dugan’s arrest.
“I did not sleep well last night. I usually sleep peacefully. I was thinking about Judge Dugan in Wisconsin,” stated Knecht. “Some states and cities have laws or policies to not assist federal authorities such as ICE or FBI – of course, not assisting is not the same as obstructing. For me, the issue is not what Judge Dugan did (I do not support how she handled this) but how the authorities responded.”
In 2023, Knecht received $249,337 in pension benefits from the Illinois Judges Retirement System.
Shestokas said Knecht’s social media post reflected a call for judges to be treated with a certain level of respect.
“I have no idea why there was any suggestion that there should be a consultation with the Wisconsin Supreme Court to determine how judges are supposed to do things. We know they’re not supposed to help criminals avoid arrest, prosecution, or detention,” said Shestokas. “It’s not unusual at all to inform the judge that there’s agents of whatever law enforcement agency outside intending to arrest someone when they leave the courtroom.”
Shestokas said no one uses the jury door without the judge’s permission, and despite being courteously informed about the planned arrest, she responded by allegedly breaking the law.
“Judge Duggan was given a heads up that there were agents outside the courtroom preparing to arrest an individual that was in their charge with the crime. And after she was given that heads up, apparently she sent a message to the agents that they should go visit with the chief judge. And then apparently she took the guy they wanted outside the side door, out the jury door,” said Shestokas.
Knecht served as a law clerk to Illinois Supreme Court Justice Robert C. Underwood from 1973 to 1974, then as an Associate Circuit Judge from 1975 to 1978, and as a Circuit Judge from 1978 to 1986, before being elected to the Fourth District Appellate Court in 1986.

(The Center Square) – There were 1,786 deer that tested positive for chronic wasting disease from the fall hunt in Wisconsin, according to a new summary report from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Most of those came from what the DNR calls the Southern Farmland Zone, with 89% of the positive tests in that area, which includes Madison and the surrounding counties.
Overall, the DNR tested 17,399 deer for the disease after stating its goal was to test 19,200 deer during the year.
Chronic wasting disease is a contagious and fatal neurological disease that can infect deer, elk, moose and caribou.
The infection can spread through direct animal-to-animal contact or through bodily substances or the carcass of infected deer. Deer can have the disease for a year and a half without showing outward signs.
The DNR had 242 sampling across the state, including 166 self-sampling kiosks and 76 staffed sites.
Waushara and Fond du Lac saw several new positive tests after having just one apiece before this year. Waupaca had its third positive test while Shawano detected three additional CWD positives, two of which were in different areas of the county from past detections.
There were also detections in Adams, Buffalo, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, Marathon, Monroe, Portage and Trempealeau counties.
“Although we have detected CWD in new areas of the state in recent years, many of these areas are at a low prevalence rate, and opportunities still remain to slow the spread and growth of the disease statewide,” DNR deer herd health specialist Erin Larson said in a statement.
In all, there were 7,680 samples from the Southern Farmland Zone tested with 1,583 positive for the disease.