So, That's Why a New Mexico Judge Had to Resign

Matt Vespa | April 21, 2025 3:00 PM

A New Mexico judge was forced to resign following the arrest of a Tren de Aragua member who got busted at his home. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided the home of Judge Joel Cano in February 28. Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, 23, was arrested and reportedly has ties to Tren de Aragua, a vicious gang that the Trump administration has designated a terror group. Illegal firearms were also found in Ortega-Lopez’s possession (via Breitbart):

A Democrat judge in New Mexico resigned from his bench last month after immigration agents arrested an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member living in his home. The illegal alien entered the U.S. in Eagle Pass, Texas, before being released on an immigration parole due to overcrowding. He eventually moved to New Mexico.
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Police arrested Orgega-Lopez while executing a search warrant on February 28 at the home of Dona Ana County, New Mexico, Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy, the Albuquerque Journal reported this week. The report follows a detention hearing where prosecutors claim the illegal alien is a flight risk and an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member.
Cano, a former police officer, allowed Ortega-Lopez to file a request for immigration relief using the judge’s residential address. Court exhibits also posted social media posts of the foreign national posing with the judge.
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Social media posts obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico showed Ortega-Lopez and other illegal aliens at a shooting range. They appeared to be in possession of multiple firearms and a large quantity of handgun and rifle ammunition. In one image, the man is holding an AR-15-style rifle in one hand and a semi-automatic pistol in the other. A video showed the Venezuelan migrant in possession of another AR-15 equipped with a suppressor. He fired the rifle until it was empty and then reloaded it with a new magazine, which he continued to fire, prosecutors stated.
The photos and videos showed Ortega-Lopez displaying Tren de Aragua gang tattoos. The United States government recently declared this violent gang to be a Transnational Criminal Organization.
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Other images from Ortega-Lopez’s cell phone obtained by Breitbart showed graphic images of multiple decapitated and mutilated bodies.
Ortega-Lopez is currently in the Dona Ana County Detention Center, where he is charged with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms.