Milwaukee County Judge Dugan trial: Who is Eduardo Flores-Ruiz?
Judge Dugan trial: Who is Eduardo Flores-Ruiz?
A federal grand jury charged Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan with helping an undocumented man evade immigration enforcement.To understand the case, we have to look at the man in the middle of it.
MILWAUKEE - A federal grand jury charged Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan with helping an undocumented man evade immigration enforcement. To understand the case, we have to look at the man in the middle of it: Eduardo Flores-Ruiz.
He is not named on the witness list, so don't expect to hear from him during Dugan's trial. However, his one-time public defender is named on the list of possible witnesses.
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Who is Eduardo Flores-Ruiz?
The backstory:
Eduardo Flores-Ruiz was 18 years old when the United States first deported him back to Mexico. At some point he returned. At 30, he was facing charges in Milwaukee County.
Eduardo Flores-Ruiz at Milwaukee County Courthouse on April 18, 2025.
On April 18, Flores-Ruiz and his public defender walked into Dugan's courtroom. He was charged with domestic abuse for punching his roommates.
"I know it was some hits to the head," Julius Andriusis, the victims' attorney, told FOX6 News in May.
Agents at courthouse
Dig deeper:
Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other federal agencies were outside Dugan's courtroom and planned to arrest Flores-Ruiz after his hearing on April 18.
Federal prosecutors said Dugan ordered the agents to speak with Chief Judge Carl Ashley in his nearby office. Then, prosecutors said she went back into her courtroom, and brought Flores-Ruiz to a non-public jury door, which led to a non-public hallway with two doors.
Milwaukee County Judge Dugan trial: How did we get here?
The case against Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan centers on one of the country's most fraught issues, immigration.
One of those doors leads to a stairwell down to the next floor. Flores Ruiz did not take it. Instead, video from the courthouse shows him and his public defender go through the other door into the public hallway – feet away from the main entrance to Dugan's courtroom, where an agent was waiting.
The agent followed Flores-Ruiz and his public defender. Two other agents then began to follow. Flores-Ruiz and the public defender got into an elevator to leave, and an agent got on with them.
Outside the courthouse, prosecutors said Flores Ruiz tried to run – but agents caught and finally arrested him.
Where is Eduardo Flores-Ruiz?
In Court:
Flores-Ruiz reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors, where he pleaded guilty to returning to the country illegally after already being deported. The deal included him voluntarily agreeing to be deported. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said he was removed from the country in November.
As for the domestic abuse case that originally brought him to Dugan's courtroom, he pleaded no contest and was convicted and sentenced prior to his deportation.
Editor's note: This story was updated with a correction.
The Source: FOX6 News reviewed prior coverage of the case, including court filings and surveillance video, for this report.