Politics
JUST IN: Feds Arrest Democrat Judge Who Housed Foreign Gang Member
A former New Mexico judge and his wife were arrested on Thursday after federal investigators arrested a suspected member of the ultra-violent Tren de Aragua gang at his home last week.
Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, were taken into custody at a home in Las Cruces, Jason T. Stevens, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso announced in a press release.
Cano resigned last week after federal immigration agents arrested Cristian Ortega-Lopez, a suspected Tren de Aragua gang member, at his home. He is facing charges of conspiracy to tamper with evidence, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Ortega-Lopez, 23, entered the country illegally before being released on immigration parole by the Biden Administration in 2022. Ortega-Lopez, a suspected member of the Venezuelan gang, eventually made his way to El, Paso, Texas, where he became acquainted with Nancy Cano, the wife of Dona Ana County, New Mexico, Magistrate Judge Joel Cano.
Cano, who served as a police officer before his time on the bench, allowed Ortega-Lopez to file a request for immigration relief using the judge’s address. Court documents also contained images showing the suspected gang member posing for photos with the judge.
Additional social media posts obtained by federal prosecutors showed Ortega-Lopez and additional illegal aliens spending time at a shooting range. The men appeared to be in possession of multiple firearms and a sizable quantity of ammunition.
In one image, the illegal alien can be seen holding an AR-15-style rifle in one hand and a semiautomatic handgun in the other. An additional video shows the Venezuelan national firing another AR-15 with a suppressor, prosecutors allege. He proceeded to fire the rifle until it was empty before quickly replacing it with another magazine and continuing to fire.
Judge Cano poses with a long rifle in a video posted to a social media page belonging to Ortega-Garcia
The weapons, which are believed to have belonged to Cano’s daughter, were seized by federal authorities upon conducting a search of the Cano’s home.
According to federal officials, agents returned to the location to conduct an additional search warrant and recover evidence in the Ortega-Lopez case, which resulted in Thursday’s arrests. “Initially, we came back here to arrest his wife, and as we started conducting our interviews and started looking at evidence, we subsequently arrested Mr. Cano as well,” Stevens said, according to local outlet KTSM.
Stevens also confirmed that two additional individuals aside from Ortega-Lopez were also living in the house. “All three of them, we believe, are alleged members of that (Tren de Aragua). Obviously, we continue just to focus on the totality of the investigation instead of just zeroing out on them,” Stevens said.
It is unknown whether Cano and his wife knew of the individuals’ alleged gang ties before allowing them to live in their home.
“On April 24, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement executed a search warrant and probable cause arrest at a residence in the 1200 block of North Reymond Street in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Homeland Security Investigations special agents working with federal law enforcement partners, took Nancy Cano into custody as part of an ongoing HSI-led criminal investigation,” an ICE spokesperson said of the arrests.
