Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is bulldozing opponents of the Trump agenda.
She just declared what price officials who stand in the way could pay.
And Kristi Noem had Americans erupting in cheers when she disclosed this bad news for a judge who harbored deadly gang members.
Former Democrat judge caught red-handed housing violent Venezuelan gangsters
A bombshell case out of New Mexico has exposed just how far the illegal immigration crisis has spread into America’s institutions.
Former New Mexico magistrate judge Jose “Joel” Cano and his wife Nancy were hauled away in handcuffs Thursday night. ICE agents swooped in and arrested the couple on charges of tampering with evidence after they were caught harboring three Venezuelan nationals linked to the vicious Tren de Aragua gang.
The arrests came after a February 28 raid where federal agents discovered three young Venezuelan men living in a guest house behind the Canos’ Las Cruces home. All three were identified as suspected members of Tren de Aragua (TDA), the ruthless Venezuelan street gang that’s been terrorizing communities across America.
One of these gangsters, 23-year-old Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, was slapped with federal weapons charges and illegal border crossing. According to case documents, Ortega-Lopez had obvious TDA-related tattoos and was caught on camera handling firearms at a local shooting range with the Canos.
Democrat judge’s excuses fall flat after damning evidence emerges
Just three days after the February raid, Cano abruptly quit his position as magistrate judge in Doña Ana County, a position he had held since winning election as a Democrat in 2010.
When the New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission launched an investigation, Cano scrambled to defend himself with a 23-page letter where he repeatedly referred to the violent gang members as “the boys” and claimed total ignorance of their criminal connections.
“Let me be as crystal clear as possible,” he wrote, according to KOAT. “The very first time I ever heard that the boys could possibly have any association with Tren de Aragua was when I was informed of that by [the] agents on the day of the raid.”
The judge’s story gets even more bizarre. He actually admitted these dangerous criminals had access to his grandchildren.
Cano further insisted that if he had known, he would never have allowed “the boys” to interact with his grandchildren: “I have three grandkids that I love dearly. … There is no way in the world that I would have allowed my grandkids to have any contact with the boys if I had sensed danger.”
Despite his desperate denials, photo and video evidence caught the judge and his wife at a shooting range with the suspected gang members. Cano claimed complete innocence, saying: “I did not take a single firearm to the range. I took no ammunition to the range either. [My wife] and I went only as spectators.”
But the story gets worse. Nancy Cano’s daughter, April Cano, has been accused of allowing Ortega-Lopez “to hold and sometimes shoot various firearms” she owns. Prosecutors presented damning evidence showing Ortega-Lopez handling weapons, with his gang-related tattoos in plain sight.
Judge and wife thrown behind bars as Noem delivers brutal warning
The three Venezuelans had apparently been living in the Canos’ guest house after completing odd jobs for the couple. Ortega-Lopez spilled the beans to agents, telling them that Mrs. Cano personally invited him and his friends to move into the guest house after they had done construction work for the couple.
Jason Stevens, the Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge of the El Paso office, gave further insights into their apprehension. “Initially we came back here to arrest his wife, and as we started obviously conducting our interviews and started looking at evidence, we subsequently arrested Mr. Cano as well,” he said, according to Newsweek.
Both Joel and Nancy Cano are now sitting in jail cells at the Doña Ana County Detention Center without bond on charges of tampering with evidence.
John Fabbricatore, former ICE field office director, spoke for many when told a local news outlet: “To see that a judge would allow this to happen, it’s very concerning. It’s concerning. What else has the judge been doing?”
The New Mexico Supreme Court has permanently banned Joel Cano from ever serving on the bench again.
Noem slams the door on illegal immigrant criminals
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem responded to the arrests on social media, delivering a blistering message that the Trump administration is bringing the hammer down on illegal immigration and gang activity.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem responded to the news of the Canos’ arrest on social media:
“Under President Trump, we have arrested over 150,000 aliens — including more than 600 members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang.”
“If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you, and lock you up.”
“That’s a promise.”
Under President Trump, we have arrested over 150,000 aliens—including more than 600 members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang.
If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you and lock you up.
That’s a promise. https://t.co/mjdGOwXkfI
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) April 25, 2025
Noem’s tough statement makes it crystal clear that the Trump administration is dead serious about removing dangerous criminal aliens from American neighborhoods. Tren de Aragua has become a growing nightmare for law enforcement across the country, with its members bringing violence and crime wherever they go.
The arrest of a former Democrat judge and his wife sends a powerful message that nobody is above the law when it comes to harboring illegal immigrant gang members. This shocking case raises serious questions about how a sitting judge could allow suspected violent criminals to live on his property, play with guns, and even interact with his family.
As this bombshell story continues to unfold, Americans are left wondering how many other officials might be turning a blind eye to the law or actively helping illegal immigrants avoid detection.
Stay tuned to Unmuzzled News for any updates to this ongoing story.
