Politics
NEW: Woke Judge Punished For Harboring Illegal Gangmember In His Home
A former judge in the New Mexico court system has received a lifetime ban from the bench following the arrest of a dangerous gang member living in his home.
Joel Cano, who resigned his judgeship last month, “can never hold a judicial office again, be a candidate for a judicial office, and cannot exercise any judicial authority in the state, including officiating at weddings,” according to a spokesman for the Administrative Office of the Courts.
The ruling by the state Supreme Court comes after authorities on February 28th arrested Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, “an illegal alien from Venezuela and a suspected member of a criminal gang,” inside a home owned by Cano’s wife, Nancy Cano. Ortega-Lopez was arrested along with his roommates, and officers “seized four firearms from April Cano’s residence,” according to a police report. April Cano is the daughter of Nancy and Joel, court records show.
Social media posts by Ortega-Lopez stated that April Cano “allowed him to hold and sometimes shoot various firearms.”
Cano’s last day on the job was March 21st. In a letter to colleagues, he did not describe the reason for his sudden departure.
“All the best to everyone of you,” he wrote. “I wish all of you a happy retirement once you are ready yourself.”
Homeland Security Investigations Las Cruces had been conducting an investigation into Ortega-Lopez, a suspected member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Araguas, since at least January, according to Fox News. He was believed to be “residing with other illegal aliens” at the Canos’ home, authorities state.
Ortega-Lopez admitted to illegally entering the U.S. in December of 2023, court records show. He allegedly told investigators that he was living with five other individuals prior to meeting Nancy Cano “to install a glass door for her.”
“He continued to do a few jobs for Nancy Cano, and after being evicted from the apartment in April 2024, Nancy Cano offered her ‘casita’ in the back of the residence she shared with her husband Joel Cano,” court documents state.
The expansion of Tren de Aragua has been a scourge along the sun belt and more northern regions, including Colorado, where federal authorities recently conducted raids in response to news reports that the gang had taken control of apartment buildings in the city of Aurora. Other raids against the gang in Los Angeles were disrupted when suspected leakers gave advance notice to the L.A. Times, forcing authorities with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement to scramble their officers to safety.
During an initial Las Cruces detention hearing on March 14th, U.S. Magistrate Judge Damian L. Martinez “asked Assistant United States Attorney (‘AUSA’) Maria Armijo if she knew Judge Cano.”
When Armijo said she did not, Judge Martinez confirmed he had met with Cano “several times,” adding, “I don’t think he would just let anybody live in his property.”
Martinez ruled Ortega-Lopez “was not a flight risk or danger to the community” and ordered him to be released. Earlier this month the office of U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison filed opposition to Martinez’s decision to free Ortega-Lopez before trial.
