Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an undocumented Venezuelan who entered the U.S. in December 2023, had been living on the property and displayed gang-related tattoos, clothing, and phone content linked to Tren de Aragua.
Nancy Cano, wife of Joel Cano, first hired him for odd jobs before inviting him to stay in their guest house in April 2024. On March 31, 2025, Joel Cano resigned after the initial revelations, and the New Mexico Supreme Court permanently barred him from judicial office.
Then, on April 24, 2025, federal authorities arrested Joel for allegedly tampering with evidence by destroying a cell phone, and Nancy for conspiracy to tamper with evidence.
The arrests and searches were carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations at their North Reymond Street home in Las Cruces.
Nancy Cano, wife of Joel Cano, first hired him for odd jobs before inviting him to stay in their guest house in April 2024. On March 31, 2025, Joel Cano resigned after the initial revelations, and the New Mexico Supreme Court permanently barred him from judicial office.
Then, on April 24, 2025, federal authorities arrested Joel for allegedly tampering with evidence by destroying a cell phone, and Nancy for conspiracy to tamper with evidence.
The arrests and searches were carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations at their North Reymond Street home in Las Cruces.
