Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Friday demanded answers about the arrest of a local Wisconsin judge by federal authorities for allegedly helping an immigrant avoid arrest.
“The Trump administration must explain to the American people the legal basis for arresting a Wisconsin judge … or drop all charges immediately,” Jeffries (D-N.Y.) wrote in a social media post.
“We will never be intimidated by these far right extremists,” the House Democratic leader added.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York), the chamber’s minority leader, accused Trump’s team of seeking to bully judges “into submission.”
“This is a dangerous escalation, an attack on the separation of powers, and we will fight this with everything we have,” Schumer tweeted.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan is accused of escorting Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer out of her courtroom through a side door last week after learning that immigration authorities were seeking his arrest.
The man was taken into custody outside the courthouse after agents chased him on foot.
Dugan was released Friday after a brief appearance in federal court. She faces two felony charges of “concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest” and obstructing or impeding a proceeding.
The judge’s arrest dramatically escalates tensions between federal authorities and state and local officials, whom President Trump’s administration has accused of interfering with his immigration enforcement priorities. It also comes amid a growing battle between the Trump administration and the federal judiciary over the president’s executive actions over deportations and other matters.
Attorney General Pam Bondi called Dugan “deranged” and said her actions “endangered the public.”
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) called the arrest of Dugan a “gravely serious and drastic move” that threatens to “breach” the separation of powers between the branches of government.
“By relentlessly attacking the judicial system, flouting court orders and arresting a sitting judge, this president is putting those basic democratic values that Wisconsinites hold dear on the line,” Baldwin said.
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