A New Mexico judge resigned from the bench after an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member was arrested at his home.
Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano’s resignation letter is dated March 3, but a spokesman for the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) told Fox News Digital it was not received by the Supreme Court and 3rd Judicial District Court until March 31.
Back in January, Homeland Security Investigations Las Cruces began looking into Venezuelan native Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, “an illegal alien from Venezuela and a suspected member of a criminal gang” who was “residing with other illegal aliens” and “in possession of firearms,” according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
On Feb. 28, two search warrants were executed at a home investigators identified as owned by Cano’s wife, Nancy Cano. Ortega-Lopez and his roommates were taken into custody, and agents “seized four firearms from April Cano’s residence.” April Cano is the daughter of Nancy and Joel, court documents state.
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Exhibit filed March 13, 2025 in the case U.S. v. Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, described as “Cristhian with the Cano family in their home.” (U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico)
Ortega-Lopez was found by investigators posing with weapons in social media posts, some of which he said were owned by April Cano, who “allowed him to hold and sometimes shoot various firearms.”
Ortega-Lopez admitted to illegally entering the U.S. from Mexico in December 2023, according to court documents. He allegedly told investigators he was living in an El Paso apartment with five others when he met Nancy Cano “to install a glass door for her.”
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Exhibit filed March 13, 2025 in the case U.S. v. Cristhian Ortega-Lopez appears to show former Judge Joel Cano eating dinner with the alleged TdA gang member. (U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico)
“He continued to do a few jobs for Nancy Cano, and after being evicted from the apartment in April, 2024, Nancy Cano offered her ‘casita’ in the back of the residence she shared with her husband Joel Cano,” court documents state.
The suspect made his first appearance in a Las Cruces court on March 3. During a detention hearing on March 14, U.S. Magistrate Judge Damian L. Martinez “asked Assistant United States Attorney (‘AUSA’) Maria Armijo if she knew Judge Cano.”
A Christmas photo from 2024 or Cristhian Orega-Lopez in the Cano family home. (U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico)
When Armijo said she did not, Judge Martinez said he had met him outside the courtroom “several times,” adding, “I don’t think he would just let anybody live in his property.”
Martinez ruled Ortega-Lopez “was not a flight risk or danger to the community” and ordered him to be released. On April 8, a motion was filed by an assistant U.S. attorney to reconsider Ortega-Lopez’s pretrial release order.
Records from Doña Ana County Assessor’s Office say the home Ortega-Lopez was arrested at is owned by both Nancy and Jose Cano, who goes by Joel.
Cano’s resignation letter stated his last day on the job was March 21.
“All the best to everyone of you,” Joel Cano wrote. “I wish all of you a happy retirement once you are ready yourself.”
Alleged Tren de Aragua gang member Cristhian Ortega-Lopez from a social media account found by investigators. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
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The AOC spokesman told Fox News Digital via email that Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham “will appoint someone to fill the vacancy through the remainder of the judge’s unexpired four-year term that runs until the end of 2026.”
“The Supreme Court has scheduled an oral argument on April 24, which is public and will be live streamed, concerning Judge Cano,” spokesman Barry Massey said.
