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‘I think there are more’: Cuffs are the consequences for judge harboring Tren de Aragua gang member

April 25, 2025 | | Print Article

There’s a new sheriff in town following the 2024 presidential election, as former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano just found out.

Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, were arrested Thursday after federal agents raided their Las Cruces home and “face charges of evidence tampering amid allegations they harbored Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an alleged illegal alien who is also believed to be a member of Venezuela’s notorious Tren de Aragua gang,” Fox News reported.​

Four firearms were also seized from the residence of April Cano, the couple’s daughter, according to the network — Ortega-Lopez was seen on social media posing with weapons, some of which he said were owned by April.

Ortega-Lopez was apprehended at the Cano residence in February — Cano resigned as a judge shortly thereafter.

Court documents show Ortega-Lopez unlawfully entered the U.S. on Dec. 15, 2023, crossing the border near Eagle Pass, Texas. Border Patrol released him three days later due to overcrowding. The illegal alien was issued a Notice to Appear, initiating formal removal proceedings under the Immigration and Nationality Act, Fox News noted.

He now faces up to 15 years in prison for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5).

“The United States is a gold pot for them to be able to come into the United States, set up criminal networks, make money, transfer that money back down to Venezuela or transfer throughout the gang,” former ICE Field Office Director John Fabbricatore told WPMI.

“Doña Ana County has been a hotbed of illegal immigration and drug trafficking, human smuggling for many, many years,” Fabbricatore said. “To see that a judge would allow this to happen. It’s very concerning. It’s concerning. What else has the judge been doing?”

Social media users are skeptical that the Cano family is alone in offering a harbor for criminal aliens in America illegally.

Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:

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