The Badger State has once again found itself in the national spotlight related to immigration issues after a court commissioner resigned due to a dispute over an immigration arrest warrant
Peter Navis, who served as a Walworth County Court Commissioner for four years, was urged to resign from his post after he confronted sheriff’s deputies who were attempting to carry out an immigration warrant on behalf of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
“In my courtroom, a person cannot be detained without lawful authority,” Navis said in the transcript, resisting efforts by law enforcement to arrest an illegal immigrant who was charged with operating a vehicle without a license for the second time in three years.
Six days after the incident, Navis was asked to resign by three of the court’s judges, who said that he misstated their position. They reportedly told him that if he did not resign of his own accord, he would be fired. (RELATED: Immigration Raids Land Prominent Democratic Donor in Hot Water)
Navis accepted fault for the incident and resigned shortly after.
“I misstated it, I did,” Navis said. “It’s not something I had intended to misstate. It’s not like I was trying to mislead anyone. What I was trying to express was I had been given the authority to act in my courtroom. That’s what I meant to say, but it didn’t come out that way.”
While Navis’ resignation likely brings an end to the issue, the trial of Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan is still ongoing after she was arrested in April on charges of obstruction.
The arrest occurred after Dugan allegedly helped an illegal immigrant and his lawyer escape her courtroom through a back door as ICE agents were seeking to arrest the illegal immigrant.
The trial has been delayed and Dugan may not face trial until 2026, setting the stage for a drawn out legal battle that could test the limits of federal and judicial power. (RELATED: Milwaukee U.S. Attorney General Prosecutor Nominated to Circuit Court)
