A New Mexico Democratic judge resigned last month after immigration officials arrested a man with suspected connections to the Tren de Aragua gang at his home during a raid in late February. Federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security conducted a raid at the home of former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Jose "Joel" Cano, on February 28.
During the raid, federal agents detained 23-year-old Venezuelan national Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, according to court documents. The Fed agents also confiscated at least four firearms from the home of Cano's daughter after obtaining search warrants based on extensive social media evidence linking Ortega-Lopez to Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan prison gang.
Embarrassment and a Resignation
Cano, a Democrat who had been a judge since 2011, did not mention anything about the arrest in his resignation letter, which he submitted just days later on March 3. "Working with each of you has been a very rewarding experience for which I will remain eternally grateful," Cano wrote in his resignation letter obtained by The New York Post.
"All the best to everyone of you. I wish all of you a happy retirement once you are ready yourself."
A representative from New Mexico's Administrative Office of the Courts later said that the state Supreme Court and the Third Judicial District Court—where Cano was based—have not yet officially received Cano's resignation as of March 31.
News of Ortega-Lopez staying at Cano's home first surfaced in court filings seeking to keep the alleged gang member behind bars. The case has since gone viral and also attracted attention in local news outlets, including the Albuquerque Journal.
Ortega-Lopez first met with Cano's family just over a year ago after he helped the judge's wife with installing a glass door and performing various handyman tasks.
In April 2024, Ortega-Lopez was thrown out of his shared apartment in El Paso, where he had been staying with five others. After that, Nancy Cano, the judge's wife, offered him a place to stay in the "casita" behind their home in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Dangerous Liaisons
Over time, Ortega-Lopez grew close with the judge's daughter, April Cano, who reportedly owned a large collection of firearms. According to court records, she allowed him to handle some of them.
Ortega-Lopez crossed into the U.S. illegally in 2023 and was later released from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility due to overcrowding. He admitted that he was aware his immigration status prohibited him from possessing firearms.
He admitted to entering the country unlawfully by climbing over a barbed-wire fence near Eagle Pass, Texas, court documents reveal.
Authorities were tipped off about Ortega-Lopez and, after investigating, found social media photos showing him with tattoos, clothing, and hand signs that are "commonly associated" with Tren de Aragua, according to court filings.
Prosecutors submitted these photos, including the ones with tattoos, as crucial evidence to support their claim that he is linked to the Venezuelan gang. "The Defendant is a danger to the community because he is a member of the United States-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization Tren de Aragua and regularly associates with other members," prosecutors wrote in a filing to keep him in custody.
Ortega-Lopez was arrested alongside three other Venezuelan illegal migrants during a Homeland Security Investigations-led raid.
