One of the unique things about America is that all U.S. citizens are supposed to be equal under the law, meaning that no one gets preferential treatment or especially harsh treatment from the judicial system and law enforcement than anyone else would receive.
But, apparently, there are some who disagree with that idea. Sometimes that shows up as people getting unusually harsh treatment because of their political beliefs or other reasons.
Sometimes that shows up as people getting especially light sentences (or no sentences) based on some characteristic or belief that they have.
Still other times, those in the legal system seem to think that the law doesn’t apply to them. Today’s story is about one these last situations. Naveen Athrappully writes,
An illegal immigrant suspected of being a Tren de Aragua gang member and living with a judge in New Mexico has pleaded guilty to “illegally possessing firearms and conspiracy to destroy evidence,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in an Oct. 17 statement.
Cristhian Ortega-Lopez entered the United States illegally in 2023 under the Biden administration and was released into the country, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. Authorities allege that Magistrate Judge Jose Cano and his wife initially hired Ortega-Lopez for home repairs, later allowing him to live at their guesthouse.
Now, you might be inclined to think that the judge may not have known that Ortega-Lopez is in the U.S. illegally, but additional information calls that thought into question.
After Ortega-Lopez was arrested, Cano allegedly smashed a cellphone belonging to Ortega-Lopez with a hammer and discarded the remains, “believing it contained incriminating photos and videos,” according to the DHS.
The judge’s wife, Nancy Cano, is accused of conspiring to delete Ortega-Lopez’s Facebook account to get rid of any incriminating evidence, the department stated.
McLaughlin said Ortega-Lopez should never have been released into the United States by the Biden administration.
Frankly, this situation just doesn’t look on the up and up for Cano. On the contrary, it looks pretty incriminating for Cano, his wife, and for Ortega-Lopez.
But if Cano had taken his oath of office seriously and actually believed in equal treatment under the law, he wouldn’t have found himself in this situation.
And while I’m a Second Amendment absolutist, I also recommend not needlessly putting yourself in a situation in which law enforcement is going to go after you for gun charges. Work to change gun laws, yes. But don’t go putting yourself on the radar of law enforcement, especially over gun issues.
