Milwaukee, WI – All people are entitled to due process in any functional democracy.
That the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan was announced by FBI Director Kash Patel’s on social media is indicative of the true goal of this action – to intimidate other judges into complying with this administration’s authoritarian goals.
We, the undersigned members of the Milwaukee Delegation of the Wisconsin State Legislature, condemn ICE arrests at sensitive locations like courtrooms, schools, churches, and hospitals – places where people have an expectation of peace and safety. Due process is not just a fundamental right guaranteed by our Constitution, it is a matter of basic human dignity and compassion.
The County Courthouse is a sanctuary for justice and peace where the accused come forward willingly in a fair and unbiased process. Arresting people out of a courtroom will lead to a breakdown of civil society. We do not support the presence of ICE in places where it will lead to intimidation against witnesses and victims of crimes, denying everyone involved the justice they deserve.
As we wait for all the facts to come forward regarding recent incidents at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, including the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan, it is irresponsible to blindly take the side of the accuser when that accuser is itself the arm of an administration that has in its first 100 days ignored court orders, violated the law, arrested the wrong people, threatened Americans with deportation, and released false information to propagate a xenophobic and white supremacist narrative.
We call for the return to American law and order and an end to the administration’s ham-fisted attempts to replace it with authoritarianism.
We roundly reject fascism in the United States of America.
Signed,
Senators Chris Larson & Tim Carpenter
Representatives Christine Sinicki, Darrin Madison, Supreme Moore Omokunde, Angelito Tenorio & Sequanna Taylor
