Judiciary under pressure Trump has judge arrested - for "danger to the public"

A judge in the USA has been arrested for allegedly letting a migrant out of the courtroom through the back door. The head of the FBI writes of a "danger to the public".

The USA is stepping up its crackdown on the judiciary under President Donald Trump: the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested a judge in Milwaukee in the US state of Wisconsin on Friday for allegedly resisting the arrest of a migrant by immigration authorities.

FBI chief Kash Patel wrote in the online service X that his agency had "evidence" of misconduct by District Judge Hannah Dugan. Last week, she "intentionally distracted federal agents" from prosecuting an undocumented immigrant at her courthouse in Milwaukee. In doing so, she "obstructed" the arrest. The officers then chased the man on foot and took him into custody.

According to press reports, ICE agents were waiting outside the courtroom with an administrative warrant to arrest him. Dugan reportedly reacted angrily after learning of the agents' presence and instructed the officers to contact the Chief Judge. She then reportedly escorted the man and his attorney out of the courtroom through a non-public exit.

"The judge increased the danger to the public," Patel wrote. That is why the FBI arrested her. Shortly afterwards, the FBI chief deleted his message, but later posted it online again.

"We need more arrests"

Trump's Attorney General Pamela Bondi confirmed the arrest. The charge against the judge was "aiding an illegal alien to avoid apprehension by (Border Patrol) ICE".

"We need more arrests," demanded Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller on X after the news broke. "Activist judges" are not above the law, wrote other MPs and Trump-affiliated groups.

Congressman Darren Soto from the Democrats, on the other hand, wrote on X that the procedure was reminiscent of "dictators in the third world". Other opposition politicians accused the government of undermining the rule of law and public order.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper, the arrested judge is very experienced and has worked for the judiciary for three decades. She is in her ninth year as a district judge in Milwaukee, the paper reported.

Increased pressure on the judiciary

The migrant she is said to have protected is a Mexican citizen. According to the paper, the 30-year-old Mexican was already taken into custody by ICE immigration officials last week.

Since Trump took office almost 100 days ago, the justice system has come under massive pressure, and not just in terms of immigration policy. The Republican had announced a crackdown on "criminal" immigrants and mass deportations. However, the courts have taken action against this in a number of cases.

In one particularly much-discussed case, the US Supreme Court ordered the government to facilitate the return of a man deported to El Salvador, who is now in prison there without a court ruling. So far, the Trump administration has made no attempt to comply.