The trial of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan began yesterday with opening statements from the prosecution and defense, as well as testimony from both FBI and ICE agents.
Here's a summary of the day's testimony:
The day began with the defense's cross-examination of FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Baker, who said he and other agents were armed and in plainclothes, planning to arrest illegal immigrant Eduardo Flores-Ruiz after his April 18 hearing before Judge Dugan, and that other agents had been conducting surveillance outside Flores-Ruiz's home that morning. Baker said agents did not arrest Flores-Ruiz when he left his home because they couldn't positively identify a man who left the residence.
Baker told the court he was confused when Dugan directed agents from the public hallway to the chief judge's office, as it was the first time that had ever happened.
The government then called FBI Special Agent Phillip Jackling to the stand. He said he was at the Milwaukee County Courthouse to arrest Flores-Ruiz and there was an administrative warrant for that arrest. He was also in plainclothes and armed with his service weapon.
Dugan approached Jackling and asked if they had a judicial warrant, which they did not, and Jackling said Dugan's tone was "very direct" and that she "seemed upset." Dugan directed Jackling and the other agent to the chief judge's office.
The arrest team was separated after being directed to the chief judge's office, Jackling said, and eventually left the area and was informed by another agent that Flores-Ruiz had gotten onto an elevator, where yet another agent followed him.
Jackling said outside the courthouse he attempted to identify himself as FBI to Flores-Ruiz, who fled. Jackling chased Flores-Ruiz, who was caught by another agent.
Defense questioned Jackling about the use of the Signal group chat used on April 18, and Jackling said he was unaware that using the app was not recommended.
Recommended
On redirect, Jackling said the agents tried to be discreet, but Dugan's targeting of the agents and her removal of them from the public hallway made their presence known. Jackling also said the bailiff told him that the bailiff had not notified Dugan about why agents were present.
After a short morning break, the prosecution called Joseph Zuraw, a supervisory officer with Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to the stand. Zuraw testified that when he went through courthouse security, he was asked to show additional identification after showing his CBP credentials. He joined the other agents on the sixth floor, and the group was on Signal discussing how someone on the sixth floor was taking pictures of them.
Video showed Flores-Ruiz walking past Zuraw and the other agents on the way to the hearing, and Zuraw sent a message to the Signal chat that Flores-Ruiz had arrived.
Like the other agents, Zuraw said Dugan's tone was "direct" and she was "visibly upset" when she confronted agents in the public hallway and moved them to the chief judge's office. When Zuraw tried to inform Dugan why he was there, she cut him off.
While in the vestibule of the chief judge's office, a deputy informed Zuraw that Flores-Ruiz's case had been "moved up" in Dugan's courtroom and was underway. Zuraw also said the arrest team was separated during this time, and noted ICE/CBP had made arrests in the courthouse "without incident" in the past.
Following Zuraw, the prosecution called Joseph Vasconcellos, a deportation officer with ICE. Vasconcellos was previously a border patrol agent. Vasconcellos told the court he was aware that Flores-Ruiz had been previously deported in 2013.
Vasconcellos testified that fingerprints taken from Flores-Ruiz when he was booked in the Milwaukee County Jail matched those taken in 2013 and that "biometric confirmation" indicated Flores-Ruiz was not allowed back into the country and had no pending immigration hearings.
He also testified that officers can face dangers while making an arrest, and that he's been shot and stabbed during his work.
Vasconcellos told the court that a supervisor told him they could arrest Flores-Ruiz after his hearing in Dugan's courtroom, and Vasconcellos said he told the court agents would not enter the courtroom. He also testified Dugan confronted agents in the public hallway and seemed "upset" before directing them to the chief judge's office. He also said that despite the team being separated, he did not call off the arrest.
Like Zuraw, Vasconcellos said he'd conducted arrests in the courthouse before and was never told to go to the chief judge's office. Vasconcellos testified that he received a message about Flores-Ruiz being in the public hallway, and that he asked the agent to follow Flores-Ruiz.
Vasconcellos said he was still on the sixth floor when he was informed that agents had arrested Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse. He also told the court that a deportation officer gave Flores-Ruiz a document in English and Spanish about his rights, and testified that Flores-Ruiz expressed no fear and did not contest being removed from the country.
Milwaukee County Judge Kristela Cervera was next on the stand and said she'd been a circuit court judge since 2021. Cervera said she'd taken an oath not to prejudge a case and follow the law.
Cervera's courtroom is adjacent to Dugan's, and both were assigned to criminal misdemeanor court. She testified that the courthouse is a public building and that anyone is free to enter the courthouse for any reason once they pass through security.
The morning of April 18, Cervera said she didn't notice the agents in the public hallway, and that it was a busy morning. At some point, Dugan came into her courtroom in her judicial robe and "summoned" Cervera, who said Dugan's demeanor was "urgent" and irritated." Dugan told her ICE was there and they needed to check a warrant.
Cervera also said she was unsure why Dugan was involving her in this matter. She told the court that she was "uncomfortable" wearing her judicial robes in the public hallway because "a judicial robe signals a sense of authority." Still, Cervera followed Dugan into the hallway, where Dugan confronted the agents.
Big day in Hannah Dugan trial.
— John Diedrich (@john_diedrich) December 17, 2025
Judge Kristela Cervera testified she was 'shocked' by the allegations against Dugan.
On cross, Cervera admitted she texted her sister, a lawyer, to warn her ICE was in the Mke Courthouse. https://t.co/gEByki2T4P
Cevera said she was not familiar with immigration law, but that Dugan's behavior gave her the impression a judicial warrant was needed to arrest Flores-Ruiz, and that an agent did present a paper warrant in the chief judge's office.
After leaving the chief judge's office, Cervera walked back through Dugan's court to avoid the public hallway and said an attorney told her later that one of their clients was arrested, and "we know what you guys were trying to do." Cervera testified she was "shocked" and "mortified" that someone believed he was involved in helping Flores-Ruiz leave the courthouse through a restricted area.
Cervera also said the court was working on a policy for immigration arrests, but that only a draft was being circulated. She spoke to another judge who said such a policy would "give people a false sense of security" because a courthouse is a public place, and they cannot stop immigration arrests.
On cross-examination, Cervera told the defense she would allow a defendant through a restricted hallway "under a unique set of circumstances," but told the prosecution on redirect that helping a defendant avoid arrest was not one of those circumstances.
Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office Sgt. David DeSmet was next on the stand, and he said he did not recall ICE coming to the courthouse prior to the Trump administration, and that on-duty, uniformed law enforcement were not subject to security screenings when properly identified. He was the one who asked the federal agents to wait until after Flores-Ruiz had his hearing to make the arrest.
DeSmet testified that Dugan told him it was illegal to arrest people in a courtroom, citing a "Supreme Court decision," and that this information "surprised" him. DeSmet requested the case so he could research it, but Dugan never provided the case law. He also said courthouse arrests are common and that he has conducted them himself.
He said he was "flabbergasted" to learn what happened on April 18, and that he would be concerned if a defendant were allowed into a restricted hallway. DeSmet also said he was unaware of directives preventing ICE from making arrests in public hallways, and that he wasn't aware of a requirement for agents to go to the chief judge's office. He also said that, outside of ceremonial events, judges didn't wear robes in public hallways.
After another break, ICE Assistant Field Operations Director Cassandra Kubiszewski was called to testify. She said Milwaukee County does not honor ICE detainers, and stopped doing so around 2013, but that ICE has been able to conduct arrests in public areas for "as long as she can recall." Kubiszewski said she was concerned about the events of April 18, including the "less-than-safe manner" in which the arrest happened.
DEA Special Agent Brian Ayers was called to the stand next. He testified he was aware of the plan to arrest Flores-Ruiz on April 18 and had previously conducted arrests in the courthouse. After some of the agents were directed to the chief judge's office, Ayers remained in the hallway and followed Flores-Ruiz onto the elevator. He did not attempt an arrest due to safety concerns.
Officers say at trial of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan that her actions made their job more dangeroushttps://t.co/Yzk8Nlx3YW pic.twitter.com/va4036dyO0
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) December 17, 2025
Ayers said once outside the courthouse with other agents, Flores-Ruiz tried to run when an agent announced himself to make the arrest. Ayers ran after Flores-Ruiz and apprehended him.
The prosecution then called Nile Hendrix-Whitmore to testify. Hendrix-Whitmore is a witness advocate with the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office. As part of her job, she accompanies victims in court and explains the court process to them.
She was scheduled to see victims for cases before Dugan on April 18, and she was assigned to work with the victims in the Flores-Ruiz case. However, she was moved to another courtroom, and someone else would be covering Dugan's courtroom that day. She did meet with the victims in the Flores-Ruiz case and inform them of this.
Hendrix-Whitmore said she saw Dugan and another judge (Cervera) in the hallway in their judicial robes, something she hadn't seen before. She was later informed about what happened in Dugan's courtroom.
She also said Dugan seemed "frantic" in the hallway.
The court was adjourned for the day just before 4:30 p.m. Central time.
RIGHT NOW: Two days of testimony have demonstrated that Judge Hannah Dugan is absolutely guilty of the charges against her. That's why her lawyers have been shamefully trying to turn this case into a referendum on ICE and President Trump. https://t.co/MePu6NjJkR
— Dan O'Donnell (@DanODonnellShow) December 16, 2025
The trial resumes at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.
Help us hold these leftists accountable and expose their obstruction. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member