A Democrat judge from New Mexico has resigned after he was caught hiding an illegal alien gang member from authorities in his home.
An illegal alien criminal with ties to a dangerous Venezuelan gang was arrested at the judge’s home.
Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, 23, is a member of the violent Tren De Aragua, a dangerous gang designated as a terrorist organization.
Ortega-Lopez was charged with illegal gun possession after an arrest in February at the home of Dona Ana County, New Mexico, Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy.
The judge announced his resignation in a letter dated March 3, which listed his last day as March 21, Albuquerque Journal reported.
“Working with each of you has been a very rewarding experience for which I will remain eternally grateful,” Cano wrote to his colleagues.
Prosecutors shared details of Judge Cano’s unusual relationship with Ortega-Lopez, who posed with the judge, a former cop, in photos shared on social media.
Judge Cano even let Ortega-Lopez list Cano’s address while fighting deportation.
Photos and videos obtained by New Mexico prosecutors also show Ortega-Lopez displaying Tren De Aragua tattoos and shooting firearms that he obtained from the judge’s daughter, April Cano.
Additionally, according to Breitbart, Ortega-Lopez’s cell phone “showed graphic images of multiple decapitated and mutilated bodies.”
The Venezuelan national met the Cano family after he entered the United States illegally as part of the Biden-era alien influx in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Ortega-Lopez was “paroled” into the U.S. due to overcrowding, after which he moved to El Paso, where he lived with five roommates.
While working construction jobs, he met Nancy Cano, who offered to let him live in a casita behind her house in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
In April 2024, Ortega-Lopez applied for relief from deportation, listing the Cano residence in his paperwork.
Around this time, he met April Cano, who “possessed a large number of firearms” and “allowed him to hold and sometimes shoot various firearms,” according to prosecutors.
On February 28, 2025, federal authorities executed a search warrant at the home of Joel and Nancy Cano, and Ortega-Lopez was arrested along with several roommates.
He was charged with being an unlawful alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
The judge’s strangely hospitable relationship with Ortega-Lopez came up during a March detention hearing.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Damian Martinez said of Cano:
“I don’t think he would just let anybody live in his property.”
As of now, Ortega-Lopez is in custody without bond.
Prosecutors argue that Ortega-Lopez is a flight risk and a danger to the community because of his alleged gang ties.
Cano was first elected in 2010 as magistrate judge and ran unopposed in three bids for re-election.
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