I.C.E. showed up in Judge Dugan’s court with an “administrative warrant” for Flores-Ruiz.
That means an immigration officer signed it.
It’s not the same as a “judicial warrant” signed by a fellow judge, which allows for the arrest of a suspect anywhere.
Why does this matter?
For starters, administrative warrants don’t grant agents a right to enter private spaces.
They must remain in public ones.
They also don’t allow them to demand compliance from other officers of the law.
And they don’t even necessarily mean a subject is charged with a crime.
As former federal prosecutor Stephen Kravit told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,
an administrative warrant is “more similar to a subpoena” and utilized as an “investigative tool.”
He added, “We wouldn’t allow the courtroom to be invaded for purposes of serving a subpoena.”
Judge Dugan understood the difference and acted accordingly