A recently retired New Mexico magistrate judge and his wife have been arrested amid allegations they harbored — and possibly armed — an illegal alien with suspected links to the violent Tren de Aragua gang, according to multiple reports.
NEW: Judge Joel Cano and his wife Nancy have been detained/arrested.
The home of a former judge in Las Cruces was raided Thursday, following accusations that he and his wife had an alleged Tren de Aragua member living in their home. @KFOX14 cameras captured the moment both Cano… https://t.co/WkdCPgNnK0 pic.twitter.com/q776tjCXLa
— Wid Lyman (@Wid_Lyman) April 24, 2025
Federal agents raided the Las Cruces home of former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Jose “Joel” Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, on Thursday afternoon, KFOX14 reported. The Canos were taken into custody after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) executed a search and probable cause arrest warrant at their residence, part of an ongoing investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
According to KFOX14, the former judge, who previously served as a police officer, faces charges of tampering with evidence. His wife, Nancy Cano, has been charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence.
The arrests follow a bombshell report by immigration news outlet Border Hawk, which last week revealed the Cano family’s alleged ties to Venezuelan citizen Cristhian Ortega-Lopez. Ortega-Lopez, suspected of being connected to the Tren de Aragua gang, was reportedly living with the Canos at the time of his arrest by HSI El Paso on February 28.
A review of Ortega-Lopez’s social media shows him shooting at a local range and holding multiple firearms. The page also shows photos of what appears to be Judge Cano and Ortega-Lopez socializing, including Ortega-Lopez passing a long rifle to both Judge Cano and Nancy.
*Video… pic.twitter.com/2rAzGjPI4k
— Wid Lyman (@Wid_Lyman) April 18, 2025
Just days after Ortega-Lopez’s arrest, Jose Cano quietly resigned from his position on the bench, a move that drew little public attention, according to Border Hawk.
Border Hawk also published photographs and videos appearing to show Ortega-Lopez socializing with the Cano family and handling firearms — some of which allegedly belonged to them. According to a criminal complaint, Ortega-Lopez admitted to possessing and firing multiple weapons confiscated from the home of April Cano.
Authorities believe Ortega-Lopez was invited to live in a casita on the Cano property after striking up a friendship with Nancy Cano while working as a handyman, KFOX14 noted.
Ortega-Lopez had reportedly entered the United States illegally on December 15, 2023, by scaling a barbed-wire fence at Eagle Pass, Texas. U.S. Border Patrol apprehended him but released him three days later due to overcrowded detention facilities.
He has since been charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm or ammunition and is currently being held without bond at the Doña Ana County Detention Center.
