An epic video filmed during the arrest of a corrupt Democrat Judge shows him being taken away in handcuffs after interfering with immigration enforcement by harboring a man believed to be a member of the deadly Tren de Aragua gang of Venezuela.
For context, former New Mexico Judge Joel Cano, 68, and his wife, Nancy Cano, 67, were arrested on Thursday, April 24, 2025, after federal agents raided their home in Las Cruces. The arrests took place after the couple was accused of harboring Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an immigrant who had previously been arrested at their home on February 28, 2025.
Following Cano’s arrest, U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison released a statement condemning the disgraced judge’s actions. He told the press, “Judges are responsible for upholding our country’s laws. It is beyond egregious for a former judge and his wife to engage in evidence tampering on behalf of a suspected Tren de Aragua gang member accused of illegally possessing firearms.”
Continuing, Ellison emphasized the ongoing commitment to rooting out all of Tren de Aragua’s members, saying, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to dismantling this foreign terrorist organization by disrupting its criminal operations in New Mexico. That starts by prosecuting those who support gang members — including judges.”
In the wake of the arrests, Attorney General Pam Bondi shared additional background on the case with the press, reportedly explaining that Cano “admitted post-Miranda [rights] he took one of the TDA member’s cell phones… beat it with a hammer, destroyed it, and walked the pieces to a city dumpster to dispose of it, to protect him.” AG Bondi went on to say, “This is the last person we want in our country,” she said. “Nor will we ever tolerate a judge or anyone else harboring them.”
Concluding her comments on Judge Cano’s corruption, AG Bondi had a straightforward message for anyone trying to subvert the law. Bondi said, “The rule of law is very simple: It doesn’t matter what line of work you’re in. If you break the law, we will follow the facts, and we will prosecute you.”
In addition to AG Bondi’s comments, former ICE Field Office Director John Fabbricatore told NBC 15 News that Doña Ana County, the location of the arrests, “has been a hotbed of illegal immigration and drug trafficking, human smuggling for many, many years. To see that a judge would allow this to happen. It’s very concerning. It’s concerning. What else has the judge been doing? ”
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Furthermore, Amy Barela, the Chairwoman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, also weighed in on the incident, reportedly telling Newsweek, “The people of New Mexico are tired of a system where the powerful don’t play by their own rules. We demand real accountability for Judge Cano’s connection to a gang-affiliated criminal and full transparency on how our judiciary is being held to the same laws as the rest of us. Enough is enough.”
Watch coverage of the corrupt judge’s arrest:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video