New Mexico Judge Juan Cano recently resigned after it was discovered that he had three Tren de Aragua gang members living in his home and had other connections to the gang.
He was then banned from ever holding office again. Now he and his wife are under arrest for harboring TdA gang members here illegally.
According to KQRE, former Doña Ana County Magistrate Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, were taken into custody at a home on North Reymond Street in Las Cruces, Jason T. Stevens, special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso, said.
The District Attorney’s Office said Cano’s daughter had multiple firearms and let Ortega-Lopez hold, shoot, and pose with them in pictures that were posted on social media.
The feds seized those firearms and arrested Ortega-Lopez in February. Homeland Security Investigations said Ortega-Lopez admitted to entering the country illegally in 2023.
The investigation is ongoing.
“Initially, we came back here to arrest his wife, and as we started conducting our interviews and started looking at evidence, we subsequently arrested Mr. Cano as well,” Stevens said.
Stevens also confirmed that Ortega-Lopez was not the only one living there at the house, saying, “three individuals were living there.”
“All three of them, we believe, are alleged members of that (Tren de Aragua). Obviously, we continue just to focus on the totality of the investigation instead of just zeroing out on them,” Stevens said.
ICE had probable cause
It’s unclear that they knew the three housemates were TdA.
A spokesperson with ICE sent the following statement regarding the arrest of Cano’s wife:
“On April 24, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement executed a search warrant and probable cause arrest at a residence in the 1200 block of North Reymond Street in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Homeland Security Investigations special agents working with federal law enforcement partners took Nancy Cano into custody as part of an ongoing HSI-led criminal investigation.”
BREAKING: Disgraced Judge Juan Cano and his wife have officially been arrested by federal authorities after knowingly harbored a TdA gang member at their home!
Thoughts on this, America?
pic.twitter.com/3wF1ZeIir0— Tom Homan Border Czar News Reports (@TomHoman_) April 24, 2025
The Judge protected the TdA criminal
Here’s more:
.@AGPamBondi gives updates on the New Mexico judge who harbored a Tren-de-Aragua gang member in his home:
“He took one of the TDA members’ cellphones — beat it with a hammer — and then walked the pieces to a city dumpster to dispose it to protect him… Not only that, this TDA… pic.twitter.com/PfPUDpFjxm
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 25, 2025
Subscribe to the Daily Newsletter
wpDiscuz
