The judge’s email went further, explicitly stating her refusal to participate in immigration enforcement actions: “I have no intention of allowing anyone to be taken out of my courtroom by ICE and sent to a concentration camp, especially without due process, as BOTH of the constitutions we swore to support require.”
In what appears to be a recognition of the potential consequences of her stance, Judge Isham added, “Should I start raising bail money?” before concluding with a defiant statement: “If this costs me my job or gets me arrested then at least I know I did the right thing.”
The language used by Judge Isham, particularly her characterization of immigration detention facilities as “concentration camps,” has drawn sharp criticism from federal officials and immigration enforcement supporters. Her email represents what many legal scholars consider an extraordinary public challenge to federal authority by a sitting state judge.
The Arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan
Judge Isham’s threat comes in direct response to the arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan on Friday. Federal authorities charged Dugan with obstruction of an official proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent their discovery and arrest—serious federal charges that could potentially result in significant prison time if she is convicted.
According to the criminal complaint filed against Judge Dugan, she deliberately helped a Mexican national named Eduardo Flores-Ruiz evade ICE agents who were waiting to take him into custody following his April 18 court appearance. Flores-Ruiz had appeared before Dugan on three misdemeanor battery charges for allegedly assaulting two individuals.
The complaint alleges that when Dugan became aware that federal agents from multiple agencies—ICE, the FBI, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)—were waiting in the public area of the courthouse to arrest Flores-Ruiz, she took deliberate steps to help him avoid apprehension.
Specifically, the complaint states that Dugan ordered the officers to report to the chief judge’s office. Then, after concluding the hearing, she personally escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out of the courtroom through a restricted jury door, effectively bypassing the public area where federal agents were waiting.
