Democrat Judge Resigns After Harboring Alleged Tren De Aragua Gang Member

A Democrat magistrate judge in New Mexico has abruptly resigned after authorities uncovered that he was harboring an illegal immigrant suspected of having ties to one of the most violent transnational gangs in the Western Hemisphere—Tren de Aragua.

Jose “Joel” Cano, a former police officer who served as a magistrate judge in Doña Ana County, stepped down from his position after federal prosecutors revealed disturbing details about his connection to 23-year-old Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an illegal alien with suspected gang affiliations.

Ortega-Lopez was arrested on February 28 at Cano’s residence. According to federal court documents, he had previously been apprehended near Eagle Pass, Texas, after illegally crossing the southern border. Like thousands of others released into the U.S. due to overcrowded detention centers and lax immigration enforcement, Ortega-Lopez was allowed to remain in the country despite serious red flags.

After his release, Ortega-Lopez reportedly met Cano’s wife in El Paso, who then arranged for him to live in a small residence behind the Cano family’s primary home. Federal agents later discovered that Judge Cano had permitted Ortega-Lopez to use his address when applying for immigration-related benefits—a serious breach of public trust and judicial ethics.

What investigators found next was even more troubling. Ortega-Lopez had access to numerous firearms and was seen in social media posts and photographs from his phone posing with guns, flashing gang signs, and displaying tattoos linked to Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan gang with ties to narcotics trafficking, extortion, human smuggling, and even ritual executions. His phone also reportedly contained graphic images of mutilated and decapitated bodies.

Tren de Aragua has been labeled by law enforcement as a growing transnational threat. The gang has established a foothold in several U.S. cities after flooding across the southern border during the Biden administration’s ongoing immigration crisis. The group operates in collaboration with the Venezuelan regime and the notorious Cártel de los Soles, raising concerns that these aren’t just random criminals crossing the border—they’re foot soldiers in a larger, coordinated infiltration.

It wasn’t just Judge Cano who was implicated. Authorities say Cano’s daughter, April, owned a separate home nearby that contained a large number of firearms. Ortega-Lopez had access to those weapons as well and had even fired some of them, according to witness reports. Federal prosecutors are now investigating the full scope of the relationship between the Cano family and the illegal gang member.

This case shines a glaring spotlight on the disastrous consequences of open-border policies and the failure of Democrat officials to uphold the law—even those entrusted with enforcing it from the bench. That a sitting judge—sworn to uphold the Constitution and protect public safety—would assist in sheltering a suspected gang member tied to one of the most brutal criminal organizations on the planet is nothing short of appalling.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned about the dangers posed by violent foreign gangs entering the United States through the unsecured southern border. His administration took aggressive steps to combat MS-13 and other transnational threats, including fast-tracked deportations, enhanced ICE operations, and increased funding for Border Patrol.

Under the current administration, however, the border has become a revolving door for illegal crossings, and stories like this are no longer isolated incidents—they are becoming disturbingly common. Judges resigning in disgrace. Illegal aliens tied to violent cartels living undetected in American neighborhoods. Criminal networks expanding their influence with little resistance.

As the immigration crisis spirals, this case serves as a stark reminder of why border security isn’t just a policy debate—it’s a national security imperative. Americans deserve better than corrupt judges, political cover-ups, and lawless sanctuary policies that put criminal illegals before the safety of U.S. citizens.