Editorial: New Mexico Judge parties with gang members

Column By Mike Bibb

Upon entering New Mexico, the roadside signs proudly announce, “Welcome to the Land of Enchantment.”

There’s more meaning in the phrase than most people suspect.

Especially, if the foreign traveler happens to be associated with one of the world’s most violent gangs, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua. Even more enchanting is when a former cop and now judge invites the gangster into his home, has a few beers, passes around a military-style semi-auto rifle, flashes gang signs, and poses for selfies.

(Tren de Aragua translates to “Aragua Train.” Aragua is a state in Venezuela.)

Could it get any weirder? Maybe if the judge and his wife let the foreign gang member share their home’s facilities and even use the address for ICE purposes.

Coincidentally, that’s precisely what they did.

Golly, America is the land of enchantment. Or at least, Las Cruces, New Mexico, is.

When pictures of Judge Joel Cano and several suspicious characters holding beers and flashing gang signs in Cano’s backyard—including Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an alleged Tren de Aragua member—were somehow leaked to the media, Judge Cano abruptly and without announcement resigned from the court, went silent, and disappeared.

There was no explanation, excuses, or made-up tall tales. Equally bizarre, there’s been tiny mention from the governor and New Mexico’s Democratic Party on how a local judge came to be friends with an undocumented gang member or how or why that gang member was allowed to reside on the judge’s property?

Presently, Blue New Mexico is also using the National Guard to assist the Albuquerque Police Department in helping to control crime, and now a Las Cruces judge has been caught hanging out with foreign gang members.

Not good optics, no matter how the Democrats and the press ultimately spin the situation.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the case since there is almost certainly much more to the story.

Namely, how long has the craziness been going on? What nefarious behavior has taken place? Who else is involved? How far up local and state government agencies do the transgressions go? How much influence and money have foreign gangs infiltrated various New Mexico administrative departments?

Whatever the case, it just seems dubious why a senior-aged judge would invite a young Venezuelan gangster into his home, entertain him and a few of his friends, allow the guy to use his residence as a reference address to comply with Customs and Enforcement regulations, and then, when the news—and pictures—go public, the judge suddenly exits the stage.

Ortega-Lopez was previously released by ICE because of overcrowding in U.S. detention centers.

Parts of this puzzle will eventually be filled in. It is simply too peculiar to ignore or go away. 

And to think, a lot of this nonsense is the result of President Joe Biden’s dementia afflicted “open borders” lunacy.

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author.

Editor’s Note: On Thursday, former Dona Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, were taken into custody when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement executed a search warrant and a probable cause arrest warrant. The search was part of an ongoing investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations.

Joel Cano was charged with tampering with evidence, while Nancy Cano was charged with conspiracy to tamper. The couple reportedly hired Cristhian Ortega-Lopez to work on the home and then later offered their place for Lopez to stay.