New Mexico judge steps down following arrest of suspected TdA member at his residence

A New Mexico judge resigned from the bench after an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member was arrested at his home.

Magistrate Judge Joel Cano submitted his resignation letter on March 3, but it wasn’t received by the Supreme Court and 3rd Judicial District Court until March 31, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to Fox News Digital.

In January, Homeland Security Investigations Las Cruces initiated an investigation into Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, a Venezuelan national described as an “illegal alien” and suspected member of a criminal gang. Court records accessed by Fox News Digital revealed that Ortega-Lopez was living with other undocumented individuals and was found in possession of firearms.

On Feb. 28, authorities executed two search warrants at a property believed to be owned by Cano’s spouse, Nancy Cano. During the operation, Ortega-Lopez and his housemates were apprehended, and law enforcement confiscated four firearms from the premises. The court documents also mention that April Cano, the daughter of Nancy and Joel Cano, is connected to the residence where the firearms were seized.

A look at the Doña Ana County Magistrate Court in Las Cruces, New Mexico. (Google Maps)

“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.”

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.”

Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano resigned in March, according to his resignation letter obtained by Fox News Digital. (iStock)

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.