A federal court has sentenced a man to time already served for illegally re-entering the United States, closing a case that stemmed from a controversial arrest outside a Wisconsin courthouse earlier this year.
Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, received the sentence this week after pleading guilty to the illegal re-entry charge in September. As part of a plea agreement, he did not contest his impending deportation. His attorney confirmed the man is currently in custody and will be removed from the country in the near future.
The case gained notoriety due to the circumstances of Flores-Ruiz’s initial apprehension by federal immigration agents last April. Authorities allege he was able to leave a courtroom hearing via a non-public exit after the presiding judge was made aware that agents were present to detain him. He was captured following a brief pursuit outside the courthouse.
That judge, Milwaukee County’s Hannah Dugan, now faces federal charges of obstruction and concealment for her alleged role in the incident. She has pleaded not guilty, with her defense maintaining her judicial discretion over courtroom proceedings. Her trial is scheduled for next month.
The indictment against Judge Dugan has become a focal point in the broader national debate over immigration enforcement, highlighting tensions between federal authorities and some local jurisdictions.
According to court documents, Flores-Ruiz first entered the U.S. from Mexico as a teenager in 2013. After being apprehended and deported shortly after crossing, he re-entered and eventually settled in Milwaukee, where he worked in the restaurant industry for over a decade.
His encounter with immigration authorities began after local police charged him with misdemeanor battery following an altercation earlier this year. His fingerprints, submitted to a federal database by the county jail, flagged his illegal status to agents.
At his sentencing hearing, Flores-Ruiz, speaking through an interpreter, expressed remorse for entering the country unlawfully, thanked the U.S. for the opportunity to work, and vowed not to return. The sentencing judge advised him to build a life in his home country, warning of severe consequences for any future illegal re-entry.
Prosecutors in his separate state battery case dropped two of three charges after he entered a plea. He also received a time-served sentence in that matter.