Latest news with #KOAT
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Five rescued from floods in New Mexico, less than month after storms killed three in same area
Heavy rain and flash floods caused five water rescues and multiple evacuations in southeastern New Mexico, less than a month after flooding in the same area killed three people. On Thursday afternoon, the Rio Ruidoso in Lincoln County rose over 12 feet, prompting five water rescues of stranded motorists and at least 14 evacuations, local officials told KOAT and The New York Times. There were no reports of deaths or injuries, the officials said, and flood waters began receding around 2pm local time. 'Move to higher ground immediately!' Lincoln County officials wrote in a Facebook post early Thursday afternoon. 'Do not delay gathering belongings or try to protect your home.' The flooding caused road closures, and residents shared videos of muddy flood waters inundating roads and ripping apart a riverside mobile home. The rains impacted a burn scar left by recent wildfires, sending loose earth into the river near the village of Ruidoso. The area near Ruidoso remains under a flood advisory from the National Weather Service. Flooding along the river earlier this month killed three people and damaged at least 35 homes. Summer rains have also impacted other parts of New Mexico. On Tuesday, severe flooding in Doña Ana County caused at least 15 emergency transports to an evacuation shelter, while search and rescue teams saved 20 people and their pets. The natural disasters come amid doubts about the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which the Trump administration has threatened to shutter entirely, moving disaster response to the states. Despite the threats, the administration announced this week four states that've been hit by disasters will get federal funding: Indiana, which experienced deadly tornadoes in March; Michigan, which experienced ice storms in March; Kentucky, which experienced flooding and tornadoes in April and May; and West Virginia, which experienced flooding and tornadoes in June. The administration plans to defer to local leaders, while still providing federal fundings, according to the White House. No official action has been taken to phase out FEMA, a White House official recently told The Independent. The climate crisis is making floods more deadly across the U.S.
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The Independent
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Five rescued from floods in New Mexico, less than month after storms killed three in same area
Heavy rain and flash floods caused five water rescues and multiple evacuations in southeastern New Mexico, less than a month after flooding in the same area killed three people. On Thursday afternoon, the Rio Ruidoso in Lincoln County rose over 12 feet, prompting five water rescues of stranded motorists and at least 14 evacuations, local officials told KOAT and The New York Times. There were no reports of deaths or injuries, the officials said, and flood waters began receding around 2pm local time. ' Move to higher ground immediately!' Lincoln County officials wrote in a Facebook post early Thursday afternoon. 'Do not delay gathering belongings or try to protect your home.' The flooding caused road closures, and residents shared videos of muddy flood waters inundating roads and ripping apart a riverside mobile home. The rains impacted a burn scar left by recent wildfires, sending loose earth into the river near the village of Ruidoso. The area near Ruidoso remains under a flood advisory from the National Weather Service. Flooding along the river earlier this month killed three people and damaged at least 35 homes. Summer rains have also impacted other parts of New Mexico. On Tuesday, severe flooding in Doña Ana County caused at least 15 emergency transports to an evacuation shelter, while search and rescue teams saved 20 people and their pets. The natural disasters come amid doubts about the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which the Trump administration has threatened to shutter entirely, moving disaster response to the states. Despite the threats, the administration announced this week four states that've been hit by disasters will get federal funding: Indiana, which experienced deadly tornadoes in March; Michigan, which experienced ice storms in March; Kentucky, which experienced flooding and tornadoes in April and May; and West Virginia, which experienced flooding and tornadoes in June. The administration plans to defer to local leaders, while still providing federal fundings, according to the White House. No official action has been taken to phase out FEMA, a White House official recently told The Independent. The climate crisis is making floods more deadly across the U.S.
New York Post
7 days ago
- New York Post
Heavily armed Mexican soldiers accidentally cross US border, surround Americans while looking for drug traffickers, gunrunners
More than a dozen heavily armed Mexican soldiers accidentally crossed over the US border into New Mexico while searching for drug traffickers and gunrunners — and instead surrounded two American volunteers scouring the desert for lost migrants on Monday. Abbey Carpenter and James Holeman, volunteers for the humanitarian group Battalion Search and Rescue that aids in searching for migrants lost in the southern New Mexico desert, came across the 18 confounded soldiers with the Mexican army, according to Border Report. 3 A squad of 18 soldiers with the Mexican military accidentally crossed the border into New Mexico on Monday. Abbey Carpenter The soldiers had no idea they'd crossed the border. They told Carpenter and Holeman that they were looking for drug traffickers and gunrunners and asked what the pair was doing in Mexico, according to the outlet. Carpenter whipped out her phone to show them her GPS tracker, which confirmed that they were in the US. 'I never felt threatened. When I got nervous was when I showed them that they were in the United States, and I had my phone out, and we were documenting they were where they shouldn't be. That's when I got nervous, like, 'Oh, we shouldn't have our phones out, taking pictures of them in US soil,'' she told Border Report. 3 Abbey Carpenter and James Holeman were hiking through the desert in search of migrants on behalf of the humanitarian group Battalion Search and Rescue. KOAT After realizing they'd grossly overshot their destination, the soldiers quickly pivoted south back toward the border, Carpenter said. The border in that part of New Mexico lacks proper delineation and is only marked by a simple wire fence that is easy to open, Coleman told the outlet. 'We were like: 'Ha-ha!' 'Take a picture with me?' 'Blah-blah.' But that's because we knew we were in the US. If we had encountered them in Mexico, it would have been a whole different thing. Threatened? I would say that, just because of our American thinking being on US soil. Nervous? Yeah, bro. We were definitely nervous,' Holeman added. 3 Holeman even asked the squad to take a picture with him, but admitted he was emboldened because he knew he was safe on US territory. James Holeman As an extra precaution, Carpenter recorded the encounter and captured multiple videos of the group, including one photo showing the armed soldiers keeping watch in a white pickup truck with 'Guardia Nacional' pasted on the side. The soldiers' uniforms also had badges of the Mexican flag on their arms alongside other military symbols. Holeman noted that he and Carpenter spotted two Mexico-plated vehicles littered with bullet holes near the Mexican border earlier during their search. For many migrants crossing the border, the final stretch through American deserts can be the most deadly, but the soldiers' presence near the border isn't out of the ordinary. In February, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to send 10,000 National Guard troops to the border to help combat illegal migration and drug trafficking between the two countries.
CNN
26-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Former New Mexico judge and wife arrested on charges of tampering with evidence linked to suspected Tren de Aragua member
A former magistrate judge in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, and his wife are accused of tampering with evidence linked to the arrest of an undocumented migrant suspected of being a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, according to two criminal complaints filed Friday. Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Jose Luis Cano, also known as Joel Cano, is facing a federal charge of tampering with evidence, and his wife, Nancy Cano, was charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence, court records show. CNN has reached out to their attorney for comment. The migrant, Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, is a Venezuelan who was charged earlier this year for unlawful possession of a firearm or ammunition, court documents show. Homeland Security Investigations launched an investigation into Ortega-Lopez in January after receiving an anonymous tip accusing him of living with other undocumented migrants at a home owned by Nancy and Jose Cano in Las Cruces and carrying firearms, the complaints state. US Attorney General Pamela Bondi told Fox News Friday authorities got a tip the migrant had been living with the judge. 'This is the last person we want in our country, nor will we ever tolerate a judge or anyone else harboring them,' she said. Ortega-Lopez had posted photos and videos on Facebook showing him at what appears to be a shooting range in Las Cruces and observed to be holding handguns or assault-style rifles, according to the complaint against him. Investigators said they identified tattoos, clothing and hand gestures 'commonly associated' with Tren de Aragua in photos and videos posted online by Ortega-Lopez, saying this 'provide(s) strong evidence of Cristhian Ortega's potential connection' to the gang, according to the criminal complaint. Tren de Aragua is a criminal gang that originated in a Venezuelan prison and now operates in the United States. The gang has been linked to human trafficking and other crimes targeting migrants, as well as money laundering, drug smuggling, kidnapping and extortion, according to the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. The former judge staunchly denied any wrongdoing and maintained he had no prior knowledge of Ortega-Lopez's alleged ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, or of the two other men who associated with him, and defended his decision to allow the men to stay on his property, CNN affiliate KOAT reported, citing a 23-page letter previously submitted to the New Mexico Supreme Court. 'Let me be as crystal clear as possible,' Jose Luis Cano wrote, KOAT reported. 'The very first time I ever heard that (the men) 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.' Two search warrants were executed on February 28, with one location being the Canos' home, and Ortega-Lopez was ultimately arrested and charged, the complaints state. Investigators found three cell phones belonging to Ortega-Lopez at the Canos' home, while four firearms were found at a separate residence that was also searched, according to the complaints. A phone call Ortega-Lopez made at the time of his arrest made investigators believe he might have another cell phone, the documents show. On April 22, investigators requested any 'recorded jail calls, messages, videos, and deposits pertaining to Ortega.' They discovered two video messages between Nancy Cano and Ortega-Lopez, which showed a fourth phone and the two discussing how to potentially delete Ortega-Lopez's Facebook accounts, the complaint against Nancy Cano states. This prompted investigators to execute a warrant at the Cano property Thursday looking for another phone owned by Ortega-Lopez, as well as a phone owned by Nancy Cano, according to the complaint. Rafael Romo reports on Venezuela's notorious gang that's victimized thousands of people across Latin America, and now operating in the U.S. During the search, Jose Luis Cano agreed to speak with investigators and told them he destroyed Ortega-Lopez's phone 'by smashing it with a hammer and discard(ing) the remaining pieces in the city trash dumpster approximately five weeks ago,' adding he thought the phone 'contained photos or videos that would reflect negatively' on Ortega-Lopez, the complaint against him stated. When questioned further, Jose Luis Cano said he destroyed the phone because he believed it contained photos of Ortega-Lopez holding firearms, the complaint stated. CNN has reached out to ICE and the US Attorney General's Office for more information on the case. The arrests of Jose Luis and Nancy Cano come after the former judge resigned from his role in March, according to court documents. On Tuesday, the New Mexico Supreme Court ordered Joel Cano never to hold or run for a New Mexico judicial office in the future, the documents stated. CNN's Hanna Park, Ray Sanchez and Rafael Romo contributed to this report.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former New Mexico judge and wife arrested on charges of tampering with evidence linked to suspected Tren de Aragua member
A former magistrate judge in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, and his wife are accused of tampering with evidence linked to the arrest of an undocumented migrant suspected of being a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, according to two criminal complaints filed Friday. Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Jose Luis Cano, also known as Joel Cano, is facing a federal charge of tampering with evidence, and his wife, Nancy Cano, was charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence, court records show. CNN has reached out to their attorney for comment. The migrant, Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, is a Venezuelan who was charged earlier this year for unlawful possession of a firearm or ammunition, court documents show. Homeland Security Investigations launched an investigation into Ortega-Lopez in January after receiving an anonymous tip accusing him of living with other undocumented migrants at a home owned by Nancy and Jose Cano in Las Cruces and carrying firearms, the complaints state. US Attorney General Pamela Bondi told Fox News Friday authorities got a tip the migrant had been living with the judge. 'This is the last person we want in our country, nor will we ever tolerate a judge or anyone else harboring them,' she said. Ortega-Lopez had posted photos and videos on Facebook showing him at what appears to be a shooting range in Las Cruces and observed to be holding handguns or assault-style rifles, according to the complaint against him. Investigators said they identified tattoos, clothing and hand gestures 'commonly associated' with Tren de Aragua in photos and videos posted online by Ortega-Lopez, saying this 'provide(s) strong evidence of Cristhian Ortega's potential connection' to the gang, according to the criminal complaint. Tren de Aragua is a criminal gang that originated in a Venezuelan prison and now operates in the United States. The gang has been linked to human trafficking and other crimes targeting migrants, as well as money laundering, drug smuggling, kidnapping and extortion, according to the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. The former judge staunchly denied any wrongdoing and maintained he had no prior knowledge of Ortega-Lopez's alleged ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, or of the two other men who associated with him, and defended his decision to allow the men to stay on his property, CNN affiliate KOAT reported, citing a 23-page letter previously submitted to the New Mexico Supreme Court. 'Let me be as crystal clear as possible,' Jose Luis Cano wrote, KOAT reported. 'The very first time I ever heard that (the men) 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.' Two search warrants were executed on February 28, with one location being the Canos' home, and Ortega-Lopez was ultimately arrested and charged, the complaints state. Investigators found three cell phones belonging to Ortega-Lopez at the Canos' home, while four firearms were found at a separate residence that was also searched, according to the complaints. A phone call Ortega-Lopez made at the time of his arrest made investigators believe he might have another cell phone, the documents show. On April 22, investigators requested any 'recorded jail calls, messages, videos, and deposits pertaining to Ortega.' They discovered two video messages between Nancy Cano and Ortega-Lopez, which showed a fourth phone and the two discussing how to potentially delete Ortega-Lopez's Facebook accounts, the complaint against Nancy Cano states. This prompted investigators to execute a warrant at the Cano property Thursday looking for another phone owned by Ortega-Lopez, as well as a phone owned by Nancy Cano, according to the complaint. During the search, Jose Luis Cano agreed to speak with investigators and told them he destroyed Ortega-Lopez's phone 'by smashing it with a hammer and discard(ing) the remaining pieces in the city trash dumpster approximately five weeks ago,' adding he thought the phone 'contained photos or videos that would reflect negatively' on Ortega-Lopez, the complaint against him stated. When questioned further, Jose Luis Cano said he destroyed the phone because he believed it contained photos of Ortega-Lopez holding firearms, the complaint stated. CNN has reached out to ICE and the US Attorney General's Office for more information on the case. The arrests of Jose Luis and Nancy Cano come after the former judge resigned from his role in March, according to court documents. On Tuesday, the New Mexico Supreme Court ordered Joel Cano never to hold or run for a New Mexico judicial office in the future, the documents stated. CNN's Hanna Park, Ray Sanchez and Rafael Romo contributed to this report.
