Federal officials take TDA-harboring judge, wife into custody

Former New Mexico Democrat Judge Jose “Joel” Cano and his wife were reportedly taken into custody Thursday by federal officials after being accused of harboring a Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang member in their home.

KFOX14 captured video Thursday afternoon showing federal officials placing Cano and his wife Nancy into custody as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers executed a search and probable cause arrest warrant at their Las Cruces home. The video shows officials wearing Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) vests detaining the couple near a set of vehicles, with both placed in handcuffs.

In March, Cano resigned from his position after 23-year-old Venezuelan national Cristhian Ortega-Lopez was arrested by authorities, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Ortega-Lopez had reportedly met Nancy Cano after illegally entering the U.S. in 2023 near Eagle Pass, Texas and later accepted her offer to stay in a “casita” behind their home, the outlet reported.

Leading up to Cano’s resignation, the Department of Justice said federal authorities had executed search warrants related to unlawful firearm possession and other offenses involving four illegal migrants in the state — Ortega-Lopez among them.

A spokesperson for ICE said to KFOX14 that both Cano and his wife had been taken into custody during the raid of their home, with HSI agents telling the outlet that both face evidence-tampering charges.

Ortega-Lopez is accused of being an illegal migrant in possession of firearms as well as having affiliations with TdA. Official charges against Cano and his wife have not been officially released.

The FBI was unable to provide the Daily Caller News Foundation with any further information due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.

HSI and ICE did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment. 

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