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Welcome to The Logoff: FBI brokers arrested a Milwaukee County decide this morning on felony fees of interfering with immigration brokers, because the Trump administration cracks down on native officers who threaten progress on its deportation agenda.
What precisely occurred? Final week, federal brokers got here to Decide Hannah Dugan’s Wisconsin courtroom to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican citizen dealing with home violence fees. Dugan is accused of sending the brokers away and permitting Flores-Ruiz to go away out a private facet door, although he was rapidly arrested anyway. Right this moment, federal brokers have been once more on the courthouse, this time to arrest Dugan.
Is that this unprecedented? Not fairly. The Trump administration arrested a Massachusetts decide in 2019 on fees of obstructing immigration officers, however they dropped the costs in 2022 after the decide agreed to refer herself to a state evaluate board.
What’s the large image? There’s longstanding rigidity between federal immigration enforcement and native courts, as native officers argue immigrants received’t attend court docket except they’ll accomplish that with out worry of deportation. Some municipalities — typically referred to as “sanctuary cities” — formally restrict native cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Trump has issued an govt order calling on businesses to halt federal funding for these cities, an order {that a} federal decide largely blocked on Thursday. Now, within the Milwaukee case, the administration is threatening officers with private penalties in the event that they work to stymie federal deportation efforts.
What’s the large query? If the charging doc is correct, Dugan went past non-cooperation to actively complicate an arrest. However that line can get blurry, and it stays to be seen whether or not the administration will make good on Trump’s menace to arrest native officers who refuse to fall in line.
And with that, it’s time to sign off…
After work at present I’ll be listening to a Right this moment, Defined episode about Hollywood stunts. (You’ll be able to hear right here on Apple podcasts or right here on Spotify.) After practically a century, the Academy Awards are lastly recognizing this unbelievable work with their very own class. Thanks for studying, and I’ll see you again right here subsequent week.
