MILWAUKEE — For the first time, we’re hearing Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan speak about allegations that she helped an undocumented immigrant evade ICE agents, calling the claims "all lies."
RELATED COVERAGE: New video shows interaction between Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan, federal agents
The comments came in newly released Milwaukee Police body camera footage from an unrelated incident at Dugan's home in late April. The footage is heavily redacted by police to protect her address.
"I did not hide this migrant in the jury room or my chambers. I had him leave out the back door, which I do when the circumstances warrant it," Dugan said.
During a 30-minute conversation with officers, Dugan spent several minutes defending herself about how she responded when immigration agents showed up at her courtroom days earlier.
"I sent them down to the district court administrator's office. I don't know if she looked at the warrant," Dugan said.
Watch: Judge Dugan denies allegations of helping undocumented immigrant evade ICE in newly released body cam footage
She was referring to Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a defendant who appeared before her for a hearing on April 18 on battery charges.
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"I just sent him out the back door," Dugan said. "I don't know if he's an illegal immigrant. Which is what they're claiming. I'm not supposed to know that. When they come in front of me, I'm not supposed to know that," Dugan said.
In the video, she denied allegations of misconduct and called media reports that she was under federal investigation "all lies."
"I am not being investigated by the feds. The FBI was not there. ICE was there. I directed them down the hall to the administrative offices. What happened after that is their business," Dugan said.
"What I'm worried about is the whackos that will believe this story, which is not true," Dugan said.
Days after this conversation, Dugan was arrested outside of the Milwaukee County Courthouse and later charged in federal court with concealing a wanted person and obstructing a federal agency. A federal judge is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to dismiss the case or send it to trial.
Dugan's attorney said her statements on the body camera show that even before she was arrested or aware of the federal investigation, her comments reinforced that she did nothing wrong.
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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