Judge Joel Cano and his wife face charges of evidence tampering, booking reports show.
Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, were taken into custody on Thursday after authorities raided their home in New Mexico amid reports and court papers stating that an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member was arrested living in a building behind his home.
Inmate bookingreports released by the Doña Ana County Detention Center show that Cano and his wife face charges of evidence tampering.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem reposted video footage on social media platform X of the moment the couple was arrested.
The footage shows Cano handcuffed, speaking to multiple FBI officers outside of what appears to be a residence.
His wife, who is also handcuffed, is later led toward a vehicle by Homeland Security personnel.
“Under President Trump, we have arrested over 150,000 aliens—including more than 600 members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang,” Noem wrote alongside the post. “If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you and lock you up. That’s a promise.”
The couple was allegedly living with Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, a Venezuelan illegal immigrant, at their home in Las Cruces, roughly 40 miles north of the U.S.–Mexico border.
Ortega-Lopez was arrested in February, according to a statement from the Department of Justice (DOJ). Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said in a March 11 statement that Ortega-Lopez is suspected of being affiliated with the gang. It was declared a terrorist organization by the Trump administration in February.
The DOJ said Ortega-Lopez, who entered the U.S. illegally on Dec. 15, 2023, and was released pending removal proceedings, was charged with being an illegal immigrant in possession of a firearm or ammunition.
Court papers filed by federal prosecutors earlier in April, which sought to block the release of Ortega-Lopez, included the names Joel and Nancy Cano and said the suspect was living in their Las Cruces home at the time of the arrest. The papers did not provide an age, occupation, or other details about the Canos.
By Katabella Roberts and Jack Phillips
