New Mexico judge Joel Cano arrested for hiding Tren de Aragua gang member inside home

Former Dona Ana County magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy, were arrested on Thursday following a raid by federal agents at their Las Cruces home after it was discovered that they had allegedly harboured Cristhian Ortega-Lopez , a suspected member of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua.

Cano, who resigned in March, was also permanently barred from holding any judicial office in New Mexico by the state’s supreme court.

According to Fox News, court documents reveal Ortega-Lopez unlawfully entered the US in December 2023, and was initially hired by Nancy Cano to carry out home repairs. He later moved into the Cano family’s guesthouse.


During a subsequent investigation, authorities discovered gang-related clothing, tattoos, voicemails, and text messages linking Ortega-Lopez to the Tren de Aragua gang . Additionally, social media posts showed Ortega-Lopez posing with firearms, some of which he claimed were owned by the Cano family’s daughter, April Cano.

Ortega-Lopez now faces federal charges for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, with a possible sentence of up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Venezuelan immigrants have gained significant attention following the Trump administration's designation of the Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organisation. Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows the president to deport or detain citizens of an enemy nation during wartime.

Trump has sent two planeloads of suspected Tren de Aragua members to an El Salvador prison, triggering a legal standoff. The US supreme court lifted a lower court's ban on these deportations on April 7.