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Former New Mexico Judge and Wife Charged After Allegedly Sheltering Illegal Immigrant Gang Member
Charlie Kirk Staff
04/25/2025
A recently resigned magistrate judge and his wife are facing serious charges after federal agents raided their home in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Joel Cano, who previously served as a Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge, and his wife Nancy Cano were arrested on Thursday. They are accused of tampering with evidence in connection to their alleged harboring of Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, who is suspected of being in the country illegally and linked to Venezuela’s dangerous Tren de Aragua gang.
According to court documents, Ortega-Lopez entered the U.S. unlawfully on December 15, 2023, near Eagle Pass, Texas. Just three days later, on December 18, he was released due to overcrowding and given a Notice to Appear, officially starting deportation proceedings.
The Canos reportedly hired Ortega-Lopez for home repairs, and Nancy Cano later allowed him to stay in their guesthouse. A raid at their residence in February led to his arrest. Investigators say they found tattoos, voicemails, gang clothing, and text messages connecting him to Tren de Aragua.
Authorities also discovered social media posts of Ortega-Lopez posing with weapons. Some of those firearms were allegedly owned by the Canos’ daughter, April, and four of them were later seized from her home. Ortega-Lopez now faces federal charges for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, which carries a possible 15-year prison sentence under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5).
Joel Cano stepped down from his judicial position in March. On Tuesday, the New Mexico Supreme Court issued an order permanently banning him from ever holding judicial office again.
“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 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?”
Amy Barela, Chairwoman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, said in a statement to the Las Cruces Sun-News, “The people of New Mexico are tired of a system where the powerful don’t play by their own rules. 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.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, “Under President Trump, we have arrested over 150,000 aliens—including more than 600 members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang. If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you and lock you up. That’s a promise.”
Homeland Security Investigations is continuing to lead the case, according to KFOX.
