Magistrate resigns after alleged Venezuelan gang member is arrested while living in his casita
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A magistrate judge in New Mexico has resigned after an immigrant with alleged ties to a Venezuelan gang was arrested at his home. (Image from Shutterstock)
A magistrate judge in New Mexico has resigned after an immigrant with alleged ties to a Venezuelan gang was arrested at his home.
Magistrate Judge Joel Cano of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, did not give a reason for stepping down in his resignation letter. His last day on the job was March 21.
The New York Post, the Albuquerque Journal and Fox News have coverage.
The immigrant, Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, 23, admitted entering the country illegally in December 2023, according to an April 8 government motion to reconsider pretrial release posted by Fox News. He was released on humanitarian parole because of overcrowded facilities, according to the document filed in federal court for the District of New Mexico.
Cano’s wife hired Ortega-Lopez to install a glass door and to do a few other jobs. When he was evicted from his apartment, she offered for him to stay at the casita at the back of their property.
Ortega-Lopez was arrested, along with his roommates, Feb. 28 after authorities learned that he had posted photos showing himself with guns that included an AR-15 rifle. The government charged Ortega-Lopez with “being an unlawful alien in possession of a firearm” March 3.
Social media accounts also included “clear indicators” of his association with a Venezuelan gang that has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization, the government said. The indicators included tattoos, clothing and hand gestures, according to the court filing.
Cano’s resignation letter was dated March 3, but it wasn’t received by supervising courts until March 31, according to the New York Post.
Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, did not comment when contacted by the Albuquerque Journal.
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