A Democrat judge has resigned from his position after it was revealed that he had been harboring an illegal alien gang member in his home.
On February 28, 23-year-old illegal alien Cristhian Ortega-Lopez was arrested at New Mexico Magistrate Judge Jose “Joel” Cano’s home. Ortega-Lopez has been found to have ties to the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
On March 3, Ortega-Lopez appeared before a judge on charges of being an unlawful alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition. That same day, Cano announced that he was resigning his position as a judge.
Ortega-Lopez entered the United States illegally near Eagle Pass, Texas, and was released from Border Patrol custody after three days due to overcrowded facilities at the processing center in South Laredo, Texas, according to court records. It is unclear exactly how long the Cano family was harboring Ortega-Lopez.
The illegal alien gang member reportedly met Cano’s wife, Nancy, in El Paso while working as a construction worker and a handyman. Nancy then reportedly offered to let Ortega-Lopez live in a small house behind the judge’s home.
Prosecutors have stated that the judge’s daughter, April Cano, “possessed a large number of firearms” in her home near her parents, and had allowed Ortega-Lopez to “hold and sometimes shoot various firearms.”
NEW: Democrat Judge from New Mexico Abruptly Resigns After Suspected Tren de Aragua Gang Member Is Arrested for Firearm Possession at His Residence
Judge Jose “Joel” Cano reportedly submitted a letter of resignation in March.
In February, HSI Venezuelan national El Paso… pic.twitter.com/w0QG5WW5mm
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) April 19, 2025
“Cano, a former police officer, allowed Ortega-Lopez to file a request for immigration relief using the judge’s residential address. Court exhibits also posted social media posts of the foreign national posing with the judge,” Breitbart News reported, adding: “Social media posts obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico showed Ortega-Lopez and other illegal aliens at a shooting range. They appeared to be in possession of multiple firearms and a large quantity of handgun and rifle ammunition… The photos and videos showed Ortega-Lopez displaying Tren de Aragua gang tattoos.”
“Other images from Ortega-Lopez’s cell phone obtained by Breitbart showed graphic images of multiple decapitated and mutilated bodies,” the outlet noted.
NEW: Venezuelan illegal immigrant with potential ties to Tren de Aragua #TdA boasted of his arsenal of firearms on Facebook regularly…
Cristhian Ortega-Lopez was living in New Mexico and came into the U.S. in December of 2023 and was released pending removal proceedings… pic.twitter.com/H0nWzUPVEA
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) March 12, 2025
It is unclear whether Cano or his wife will be facing any charges for harboring an illegal alien gang member.
This news comes after President Donald Trump issued an order in March declaring Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization, meaning that a member of the group, like Ortega-Lopez, is designated as terrorist and has no claim to asylum in the United States.
“Tren de Aragua (TdA) is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization with thousands of members, many of whom have unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States,” Trump wrote in the order. “TdA operates in conjunction with Cártel de los Soles, the Nicolas Maduro regime-sponsored, narco-terrorism enterprise based in Venezuela, and commits brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and human, drug, and weapons trafficking. TdA has engaged in and continues to engage in mass illegal migration to the United States to further its objectives of harming United States citizens, undermining public safety, and supporting the Maduro regime’s goal of destabilizing democratic nations in the Americas, including the United States.”
