Shocking Arrest in Las Cruces
Former New Mexico judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy, were arrested on Thursday, after ICE law enforcement officials discovered they were allegedly harboring Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, a 23-year-old Venezuelan migrant suspected of ties to the violent Tren de Aragua gang. The arrests have sent shockwaves through the Las Cruces community.
Authorities raided the Cano home after months of investigation, uncovering disturbing evidence that linked Ortega-Lopez to gruesome crimes.
How It Unfolded
After his release from a detention facility, Ortega-Lopez met Nancy Cano while looking for construction work. Joel later invited Ortega-Lopez to move into their home.
During the investigation, authorities recovered photos from Ortega-Lopez’s phone depicting decapitated and mutilated bodies. They also found multiple images and videos showing Judge Cano interacting with Ortega-Lopez, including footage where Ortega-Lopez is seen handing a gun to Cano.
What is Tren de Aragua?
Tren de Aragua, or the “Aragua Train,” began inside Tocorón prison in Venezuela’s Aragua state around 2014. Founded by Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores (“Niño Guerrero”), the group has morphed from a prison gang into a full-blown transnational criminal empire.
Tren de Aragua is involved in human trafficking, drug trafficking, extortion and violent crimes across Latin America and the United States. The gang expanded its operations by exploiting the mass migration of Venezuelans fleeing the country’s economic crisis. On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order designating Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization to strengthen law enforcement efforts against the group.
Public Reaction and Ongoing Investigation
According to Breitbart, Cano is currently charged with tampering with evidence, while his wife faces charges of conspiracy to tamper:
The Cano couple were booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center between 6:30 and 7 p..m. on Thursday, the Albuquerque Journal reported. They are currently being held without bond. Before being elected to the magistrate judge position in 2010, Joel Cano served for nearly 23 years in the Las Cruces Police Department.
Joel Cano resigned from his position as a magistrate judge in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, after ICE agents raided his home and took 23-year-old Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, a Venezuelan migrant who illegally entered the U.S. in December 2023 and is suspected of being a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, into custody on firearms-related charges, Breitbart Texas reported.
Federal prosecutors in the District of New Mexico allege that Ortega-Lopez was illegally in possession of a firearm and has ties to the hyperviolent Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump and the U.S. State Department declared the gang to be a foreign terrorist organization.
Police arrested Orgega-Lopez while executing a search warrant on February 28 at the home of Dona Ana County, New Mexico, Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy, the Albuquerque Journal reported this week. The report follows a detention hearing where prosecutors claim the illegal alien is a flight risk and an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member.
While the investigation into the Canos continues, the New Mexico Supreme Court delivered its final verdict Tuesday: Cano is permanently banned from ever holding judicial office in the state.
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THE QUESTION SHOULDN’T BE WHAT ELSE IS HE HIDING. BUT WHAT ELSE ARE THE OTHER ACTIVIST JUDGES HIDING!!!
What we’re seeing across our once great country is a flouting of the law (“nobody is above the law” according to liberals when persecuting President Trump) by those who used lawfare to sue and hound Donald J. Trump in order to disqualify him from running for President in 2024. The lawfare continues and is now escalating with judges at various levels tying up Trump’s Executive Orders and thwarting the rule of law in any way that they can. Now Judges are going out of their way to let illegals remain in America? What if they were the parents of any of the numerous children who have been molested, tortured and/or murdered? Would that make it a different narrative for them. If so, they need to stop being hypocrites in turning their backs on the numerous families of these victims. Shame on all of them. Set an example by making them pay a serious price. I don’t care who testifies that they thought that they were doing the right thing or that the judges were “fine people”. They are simply breaking the law and further punishing the families who have already lost loved ones. Criminals helping criminals! They have the moral character of mud.