A Democratic judge in New Mexico resigned last month after immigration authorities arrested an alleged member of the Tren de Aragua gang who had been living in his home, according to reports.
The suspect, an illegal immigrant, initially entered the U.S. through Eagle Pass, Texas, and was released on immigration parole due to overcrowding before relocating to New Mexico.
Federal prosecutors in the District of New Mexico allege that 23-year-old Cristhian Ortega-Lopez was unlawfully in possession of a firearm and has ties to Tren de Aragua, a notoriously violent Venezuelan gang.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump and the U.S. State Department officially designated the gang as a foreign terrorist organization, Breitbart News reported.
Police arrested Cristhian Ortega-Lopez on February 28 while executing a search warrant at the home of Dona Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy, according to a report this week from the Albuquerque Journal.
The development follows a detention hearing where prosecutors argued that Ortega-Lopez is both a flight risk and an alleged member of the violent Tren de Aragua gang.
Cano, a former police officer, reportedly allowed Ortega-Lopez to use his residential address when filing a request for immigration relief. Court exhibits also included social media photos showing the foreign national posing alongside the judge.
Venezuelan Illegal With Alleged Tren de Aragua Ties Arrested for Possession of Firearm While Reportedly Living at Home of New Mexico Judge
— Border Hawk (@BorderHawkNews) April 18, 2025
Judge Jose "Joel" Cano abruptly resigned days after ICE HSI raid at his house in Las Cruces
Full story coming… pic.twitter.com/UvkrAC2PDT
Court records obtained by investigators revealed that Ortega-Lopez, a Venezuelan national, illegally entered the United States in December 2023, at the height of the Biden-era border crisis. He was released just three days later due to overcrowding at the Eagle Pass detention facility.
Social media posts obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico showed Ortega-Lopez and several other illegal immigrants at a shooting range, appearing to possess multiple firearms and a large amount of handgun and rifle ammunition.
In one photo, Ortega-Lopez is seen holding an AR-15-style rifle in one hand and a semi-automatic pistol in the other. A video captured him firing another AR-15 equipped with a suppressor, emptying the magazine before reloading and continuing to shoot, according to prosecutors.
Photos and videos showed Ortega-Lopez displaying tattoos associated with Tren de Aragua, which State has declared a Transnational Criminal Organization.
Investigators also discovered additional firearms at a neighboring residence owned by Nancy Cano’s daughter, with Ortega-Lopez seen handling several of those weapons.
According to court documents, after being released by Border Patrol, the Venezuelan national moved to El Paso, where he shared a residence with five others. While living there, he met Nancy Cano and began working for her as a handyman and construction worker. She later offered him housing in a casita located behind her home.
Additional images recovered from Ortega-Lopez’s cell phone and obtained by Breitbart depicted graphic scenes of decapitated and mutilated bodies.
Ortega-Lopez is currently being held at the Doña Ana County Detention Center, facing charges for being an illegal alien in possession of firearms.
It remains unclear whether Judge Cano or his wife will face charges related to harboring an illegal alien or providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
On Friday, one of the U.S. Supreme Court’s most liberal Justices sided with the administration in a deportation case.
Justice Elena Kagan denied a request from four Mexican nationals who asked the court to block their deportation orders so they could file an appeal, Fox News reported.
“The petitioners, Fabian Lagunas Espinoza, Maria Angelica Flores Ulloa, and their two sons, were ordered to report to immigration officials on Thursday. Their legal team argued they face cartel violence if returned to Mexico,” the report said.
“According to their court filing, the family fled Guerrero, Mexico, in 2021, after being threatened by the Los Rojos drug cartel. The petition stated that cartel members demanded the family vacate their home within 24 hours or be killed,” it said.
