Sanders Slams Trump’s Arrest of Wisconsin Judge as ‘Unchecked Power’ Grab!

On Friday, Senator Bernie Sanders, alongside other progressive leaders in Congress, openly criticized the Trump administration for the arrest of a local judge in Wisconsin. The judge was allegedly involved in aiding an undocumented individual to avoid apprehension by federal immigration officials.

FBI operatives detained 65-year-old Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County Circuit Judge, on charges of obstruction and concealing a person. She is accused of sheltering an individual in her office while federal agents attempted to detain him.

In a press release denouncing President Donald Trump for “illegally seizing powers from Congress,” Sanders (I-Vt.) expressed, “Trump’s apprehension of Judge Dugan in Milwaukee is not about immigration. It’s a step toward dictatorial control.”

“Trump is proving time and again that he has no respect for the Constitution, the division of government powers, or the rule of law.”

“He is pursuing lawsuits against media outlets he disfavors. He targets universities over policy disagreements. He bullies prominent law firms that stand against him,” Sanders elaborated. “He has disregarded a unanimous Supreme Court decision to repatriate Kilmar Abrego García from El Salvador, where he was wrongfully deported. He threatens to impeach judges who do not rule in his favor.”

“Trump’s recent actions against the judiciary, particularly Judge Dugan, are about consolidating unchecked power,” Sanders emphasized. “He will undermine any institution that obstructs him. Trump’s actions demonstrate a disregard for the Constitution, the separation of powers, or any legal constraints. He is solely interested in amassing more power for himself.”

“It is time for those in the Republican Party who respect the Constitution to confront his escalating authoritarian tendencies,” added Sanders.

Other progressive politicians also voiced their disapproval of Dugan’s arrest, with Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) describing it as “a critical alarm moment” that requires collective action.

Representative Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) commented on the social platform X: “The arrest of Judge Dugan is appalling and a clear intimidation tactic against our independent judiciary. Trump has always acted above the law, but now he’s empowering his enforcers to push this boundary to the extreme. His careless deportations and blatant disregard for the Constitution will not succeed.”

Representative Summer Lee (D-Pa.) stated on social media that “arresting judges is what you expect in a police state.”

“This is how tyrants consolidate power,” Lee cautioned. “They create crises, weaken our institutions, and erode our system of checks and balances. If they can target one of us, they can target all of us.”

Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) remarked, “Trump’s strategy is simple: punish those who oppose him.”

“This isn’t about law and order—it’s the rise of authoritarianism unfolding before our eyes,” she added.

Representative Ro Khanna expressed on social media, “The FBI’s arrest of a Wisconsin judge who stood up for due process for immigrants is unprecedented. We all need to stand up and speak out against arresting judges in our country. We are living in perilous times.”

Representative Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) described the FBI’s actions as “shocking” and indicative of a willingness to “weaponize federal law enforcement.”

Moore further stated, “I am deeply concerned by the increasingly unlawful behavior of the Trump administration, including actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has shown blatant disregard for the Constitution.”

Advocacy groups such as Voces de la Frontera, Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR), and Milwaukee Turners organized a protest against Dugan’s arrest on Friday afternoon outside the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

Describing the arrest as “a deeply alarming attack,” MAARPR accused FBI Director Kash Patel of “deliberately publicizing his accusations” and “attempting to circumvent Dugan’s right to due process by prematurely branding her as a criminal.”

“It is evident that the actions taken by Patel and the FBI are part of a broader strategy to either coerce compliance with Trump’s agenda or face severe consequences,” the organization stated.

MAARPR continued, “In this era of racial and political repression, we must unite to condemn the actions taken today by the FBI. What occurred with Dugan is not an isolated incident. The FBI and other agencies have grown more bold recently, engaging in activities such as abducting individuals from the streets, separating families, terrorizing communities, breaking into the homes of pro-Palestine activists, and contributing to the unjust deportation of immigrants without criminal records. What is unprecedented is their target now includes a judge.”

“The situation we face is frightening, but it is only through a united front that we can end this reign of terror by the FBI, ICE, and other agencies committing these injustices,” the group concluded. “Together, we will oppose Trump and his agenda.”