A recently resigned New Mexico judge and his wife were arrested in a federal raid on their family home Thursday, after it was revealed they harbored an accused member of Tren de Aragua, according to a report.
Democratic former Do?a Ana County Magistrate Judge Jose “Joel” Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, each face two charges of evidence tampering for allegedly harboring Cristhian Ortega-Lopez — an accused illegal migrant who federal officials say is a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, Fox News reported.
“Under President Trump, we have arrested over 150,000 aliens — including more than 600 members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told the outlet.
On Feb. 28, Ortega-Lopez, 23, was apprehended during an ICE raid at the judge’s tony Las Cruces, NM, residence, where the suspected gangbanger lived in a guesthouse after first ingratiating himself as a handyman, Fox News reported, citing court documents.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of New Mexico permanently barred Cano from serving on the bench due to the February arrest of Ortega-Lopez. The judge had resigned from the bench in March.
ICE investigators claimed Ortega-Lopez has Tren de Aragua-related tattoos, social media posts and clothing — and they used a search warrant to discover voicemails and text messages relating to alleged gang activity.
In a separate raid at the home of the couple’s daughter, April Cano, ICE investigators recovered four firearms — some of which allegedly belong to Ortega-Lopez, investigators said, citing social media evidence.
Social media pictures show Ortega-Lopez posing for Christmas photos with the Cano family and posing with weapons that he claimed belonged to April Cano.
“Do?a 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 told 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?” Fabbricatore said.
Ortega-Lopez allegedly entered the US unlawfully in 2023 — crossing the border near Eagle Pass, Texas, on Dec. 15 — and was released into the country three days later, pending removal proceedings, due to overcrowding at the prison, Fox News reported.
The alleged Tren de Aragua gang member was issued a Notice to Appear, which initiated formal removal proceedings, according to the outlet.
Ortega-Lopez faces up to 15 years in prison for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5).
