Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, were taken into custody Thursday after federal agents raided their Las Cruces home.
The two face charges of evidence tampering amid allegations they harbored Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an alleged illegal alien who is also believed to be a member of Venezuela’s notorious Tren de Aragua gang.
“Under President Trump, we have arrested over 150,000 aliens—including more than 600 members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang,” said Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem. “If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you and lock you up. That’s a promise.”
The arrest follows a February incident where Ortega-Lopez was apprehended at the Cano residence. Court documents reveal that he was initially hired by Nancy Cano for home repairs and later offered accommodation in the couple’s guesthouse.
Investigators uncovered evidence linking Ortega-Lopez to the Tren de Aragua gang, including gang-related clothing, tattoos, voicemails and text messages.
According to court documents, he unlawfully entered the U.S. on Dec. 15, 2023, by crossing the border near Eagle Pass, Texas, without inspection or authorization.
He was released on Dec. 18, 2023, pending removal proceedings due to overcrowding at the Border Patrol facility. He was issued a Notice to Appear, initiating formal removal proceedings under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Further investigation led to the seizure of four firearms from the residence of April Cano, the couple’s daughter. Ortega-Lopez was found in social media posts posing with weapons, some of which he claimed were owned by April.
He is currently facing federal charges for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5). If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
“Doña Ana County has been a hotbed of illegal immigration and drug trafficking, human smuggling for many, many years,” former ICE Field Office Director John Fabbricatore said to WPMI. “To see that a judge would allow this to happen. It’s very concerning. It’s concerning. What else has the judge been doing?”
Judge Cano resigned from his judicial position in March and on Tuesday, the New Mexico Supreme Court issued a ruling permanently barring him from holding any judicial office in the state.
“The people of New Mexico are tired of a system where the powerful don’t play by their own rules,” Amy Barela, Chairwoman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, said to the Las Cruces Sun-News. “We demand real accountability for Judge Cano’s connection to a gang-affiliated criminal and full transparency on how our judiciary is being held to the same laws as the rest of us. Enough is enough.”
