MILWAUKEE — A federal jury found Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan guilty Thursday of obstructing immigration agents as they attempted to arrest an undocumented immigrant defendant last April. 

Eduardo Flores-Ruiz was appearing in Dugan’s court on misdemeanor battery charges. Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national, was arrested outside the courthouse after a short chase by the immigration agents and has since been deported.

A grand jury indicted Dugan the following month. She denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the federal charges of obstructing a proceeding, a felony, and of concealing an individual to prevent an arrest, a misdemeanor. She was found not guilty of the misdemeanor charge.
 
During the trial, federal agents testified Dugan seemed “angry” when she approached them in the public hallway where they were waiting to arrest Flores-Ruiz after his hearing. They testified that she asked the agents if they had a judicial warrant, sent them to speak with the chief judge, rushed Flores-Ruiz’s case through, and allowed him and his attorney to leave the courtroom through the jury door, which led back to a public hallway.

During the government’s closing argument, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Watzka said Dugan conducted a “round-up” of federal agents and sent them to the chief judge’s office.

Watzka said Dugan then created an “escape route” for Flores-Ruiz when she let him exit a door defendants don’t usually go through. Prosecutors also played courtroom audio of Dugan saying she’d “take the heat” for her actions.

Dugan’s attorneys argued that immigration enforcement policy at the courthouse was in-flux at the time, which led to Dugan’s confusion, and that after Dugan let Flores-Ruiz go through the jury door, he ended up back in the public hallway. They argued this showed she wasn’t concealing him. 

Dugan did not testify during the trial. 

Dugan attorney Jason Luczak told the jury: “You’re the check on government overreach. Use your power to do justice in this case. You have the power to correct this unjust prosecution. It’s your decision and justice is in your hands.”

Until President Trump’s first term, courthouses were typically off-limits to federal authorities, including immigration agents. He implemented a policy in 2018 giving agents broader authority and has now ramped up immigration enforcement during his second term.

MILWAUKEE — For 31 years, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater has ended every performance of A Christmas Carol with a heartwarming tradition: cast members ask audience members for donations that are then given to a local charity.

Watch: Milwaukee Rep’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ raises donations for Jewish Family Services

Milwaukee Rep’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ raises donations for Jewish Family Services

This year’s chosen charity is Jewish Family Services, an organization that provides support to families in need throughout the community.

I was there when Jenny from the Rep and Jenny from Jewish Family Services celebrated the generosity of the community, which is providing gifts for families in need this holiday season.

Behind the scenes at Milwaukee Rep, volunteers were busy wrapping presents for their “A Christmas Carol Families” program. The initiative aligns perfectly with the theater’s mission of creating positive change in the community.

“This goes right to our mission of creating positive change in the community, and when we’re doing a play like A Christmas Carol, what better show to be able to use the themes from that production of generosity and compassion over greed to make sure that we’re walking the walk as well when we are saying, ‘Hey community, we should be doing this,’ right? So this is one example of how we can create that change in the community as well,” said Jenny from Milwaukee Rep.

The donations collected from theatergoers will make a significant impact for families served by Jewish Family Services, which has been operating since 1867.

“It’s going to make such a huge difference. These are families facing the harshest of circumstances. We’ve been in existence since 1867, but this year we have such extreme need from all the families we serve,” said Jenny from Jewish Family Services.

Even small contributions from audience members attending the beloved Milwaukee holiday tradition add up to meaningful support for local families.

“To everyone who went to see A Christmas Carol, which is such a holiday tradition here in Milwaukee, and made a donation — maybe it was just $1 or a couple bucks here and there — it all adds up and really is community showing up for community,” I said.

“We’re so grateful to have been chosen this year, and to align our missions like this with the Rep is just a community outpouring of support that is going to go directly to benefit some people who will be very grateful,” said Jenny from Jewish Family Services.

The longstanding tradition demonstrates how the theater continues to give back to Milwaukee, extending the spirit of the holiday classic beyond the stage and into the community.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Thanks to generous viewers, TMJ4’s Home 4 the Holidays Virtual Food Drive raised more than $29,000 for Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force — money that will help get food on tables this holiday season.

The donations came as the Hunger Task Force reports a 35% increase in traffic at local pantry networks over the past year.

The fundraising effort marks the 10th year that Raymond James, TMJ4, and Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force have partnered for the Home 4 the Holidays virtual food drive. The online platform allows people to purchase an assortment of holiday food choices from the comfort of their own home or office.

Gary Sievewright from Raymond James explained why the company continues its annual participation.

Watch: Community raises over $29,000 during Home 4 the Holidays virtual food drive

Community raises over $29,000 during Home 4 the Holidays virtual food drive

“It’s part of our culture to be involved in the community, and we just love the need to help people that really have a need for food, right? So this is a passion of ours, it’s a passion of yours. We love the partnership, and we’re happy to raise as much money as we can every year,” Sievewright said.

People can continue making donations by visiting HungerTaskForce.org to help feed families in need this holiday season.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.

Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.

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