A former New Mexico county judge and his wife were taken into federal custody Thursday after authorities alleged they had let a Tren de Aragua member illegally in the United States stay in their home.
According to KFOX-TV in El Paso, Texas, former Dona Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, had their Las Cruces, New Mexico, home raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement based on probable cause arrest and search warrants.
Both were arrested, and their perp walk was caught on video:
The home of a former judge in Las Cruces was raided Thursday, following accusations that he and his wife had an alleged Tren de Aragua member living in their home. KFOX14/CBS4 cameras captured the moment both Cano and his wife, Nancy, were handcuffed. https://t.co/LWvz39b8bt pic.twitter.com/sL5zjafIdC
— KFOX14 News (@KFOX14) April 24, 2025
An ICE representative said that the two were in custody as part of a Homeland Security Investigations probe.
The former judge faces charges of evidence tampering, while his wife is charged with conspiracy to tamper.
Cano had resigned his position as a Doña Ana County magistrate judge last month after allegations surfaced that he and his wife had hosted Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, a Venezuelan illegal immigrant who is an alleged member of the transnational Tren de Aragua gang.
In a Tuesday ruling from the New Mexico Supreme Court, Cano was barred from ever holding judicial office in the state again.
According to Fox News, Ortega-Lopez was initially apprehended at the residence in February. Four firearms — which Ortega-Lopez appeared in social media posts brandishing — were also found and seized at the home of April Cano, the couple’s daughter.
Ortega-Lopez, who faces up to 15 years in prison for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, claimed that the guns belonged to the Cano daughter.
At the time of Ortega-Lopez’s arrest, Nancy Cano said that the alleged TdA member was staying in the couple’s guesthouse after he was initially hired to do home repairs.
Court documents indicate that Ortega-Lopez illegally entered the country via Eagle Pass, Texas, on Dec. 15, 2023. He was neither inspected nor authorized to enter but released on Dec. 18, 2023 because of overcrowding at Border Patrol facilities.
Removal proceedings were pending, and he was issued a so-called Notice to Appear, which would have initiated removal proceedings before an immigration court.
“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 said.
“To see that a judge would allow this to happen. It’s very concerning. It’s concerning. What else has the judge been doing?”
The Republican Party of New Mexico also hailed the arrest.
“The people of New Mexico are tired of a system where the powerful don’t play by their own rules,” said Amy Barela, chairwoman of the state party.
“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.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also highlighted the arrest as part of the work the Trump administration was doing to eradicate Tren de Aragua’s influence.
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. https://t.co/mjdGOwXkfI
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) April 25, 2025
“Under President Trump, we have arrested over 150,000 aliens—including more than 600 members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang,” Noem said in a statement.
“If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you and lock you up. That’s a promise.”
