Former New Mexico Judge arrested for harboring illegal alien
Former Judge Joel Cano is taken into custody and assisted to the ride to his next stop in this image. (KFOX14)
Federal agents took Joel Cano, former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge, into custody. Also taken custody was Cano’s wife, Nancy Cano. Both were charged with harboring an illegal alien, Cristhian Ortega-Lopez. He is suspected of being a member of Tren de Aragua. Lopez was taken into custody back in February, he was apprehended at the former judge’s residence.
From Fox News:
The arrest follows a February incident where Ortega-Lopez was apprehended at the Cano residence. Court documents reveal that he was initially hired by Nancy Cano for home repairs and later offered accommodation in the couple’s guesthouse.
Investigators uncovered evidence linking Ortega-Lopez to the Tren de Aragua gang, including gang-related clothing, tattoos, voicemails and text messages.
According to court documents, he unlawfully entered the U.S. on Dec. 15, 2023, by crossing the border near Eagle Pass, Texas, without inspection or authorization.
He was released on Dec. 18, 2023, pending removal proceedings due to overcrowding at the Border Patrol facility. He was issued a Notice to Appear, initiating formal removal proceedings under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Further investigation led to the seizure of four firearms from the residence of April Cano, the couple’s daughter. Ortega-Lopez was found in social media posts posing with weapons, some of which he claimed were owned by April.
He is currently facing federal charges for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5). If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
Additional Reading:
Baehr, J. (2025, April 25). Ex-New Mexico judge, wife arrested for allegedly harboring illegal Tren de Aragua member. Fox News. Link.
The former judge apparently destroyed Ortega-Lopez’s cell phone which had images of decapitated victims:
?This is INSANE: AG Bondi announces that the New Mexico judge who has been arrested admitted to
– Taking the TDA Member’s cell phone and destroyed it to protect him & destroy evidence which had images of decapitated victims
– Gave the TDA member rifles pic.twitter.com/uV4fjVsAIH
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 25, 2025
Category: "Teh Stoopid", Illegal Immigrants, Society
Repatriate them with a very powerful woodchipper
I was hoping for a repatriation from a C-130 at about 7,500 feet at about 210mph. All televised live, of course.
Repatriate with a trebuchet.
And it doesn’t have to be anywhere near a border.
Welp…that’s a start. How many more corrupt judges are out there? We know there are millions of illegals. Gotta wonder how many defense lawers are going to file motions to have every case this judge presided over thrown out. Watch
Let the perp walks begin.
Interesting.
There is a lot of cross border corrupt networks in New Mexico. I dealt with it when I was a cop there. Rumors swirled that my Chief of police had a reputation for stealing weapons from the evidence locker and trafficking them, also a reputation for obstructing investigations. He even “lost” evidence in a crime I referred for prosecution.
But what this judge is accused of doing seems next level.
That being said, Pam Bondi is a lying sociopath. So I will wait to see what the DoJ is willing to present in court under oath and rules of evidence.
You are the lying sociopath, cuttlefish.
Direct from The Pardoner-in-Chief…err at least from the guy that runs his X account
^
How can we miss you if you keep coming back? You’re even a fraud at rage-quitting.
You fucking tool…
You must not have been much of an LEO, it’s obvious that you didn’t make it past your probation period.
“Lying Sociopath”? Yeah, look at your hero Eric Holder, B. Hussein 0bama’s AG who was held in Contempt of Congress, o harebrained shitbird!
Glad to see you back with us my Conservative friend with your Socialist Shtick act. Later Alligator…
Blah blah blah yada yada yada……its almost like a recording repeating itself over and over and over again. Please take this record off the player. We are tired of YOUR same old rhetoric.
Turd.
Send them away as well.
Good. Have fun playin’ house with Tyrone and Bubba.
No matter how much you hate Demonrats…you still don’t hate them enough…
They suck.
And speaking as someone in the chronically underemployed financial bracket I can definitely say that I haven’t exactly seen the Dems chasing us down to help us find employment. But they sure do want to know EXACTLY what ethnic bracket to file us under.
Hey Farm Girl!!! Where’ver you been? Haven’t heard from you in ages.
nO hUmAn Is IlLeGaL….
But wait there’s more!
‘No one is above the law’: AG Bondi blasts judges accused of helping undocumented immigrants evade arrest – ABC News
The judge shared his home with a gang banger. Now he can share his cell with his homeboy.
Maybe his homeboy can help protect him form the folks he sent to prison.
This is all warm and fuzzy, and long past due, but…Pam, what about that Jeffery File that has been on the top of your desk for awhile now? Hmmm…Too soon?
Betcha she got Clintonized.
I would not hang your hat on Bondi,her 2A track record is as bad as Trump’s.
Oh, I gave up on her long ago…and it’s just gotten worse.
There was a picture I saw yesterday that had the judge, holding a drink wearing a shirt but no pants standing next to the gang banger. In today’s realm of AI and CGI I don’t take it as a true picture without some kind of verification, but it was a damn strange image to see.
The judges wife was probably bangin the gang bangers. She felt comfortable enough to let them live in the home, must be something going on.