U.S. revokes visas of Mexican band members accused of 'glorifying' drug kingpin

MEXICO CITY — The U.S. State Department has revoked the visas of musicians successful a fashionable Mexican set aft the radical flashed big-screen images of the notorious Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known arsenic El Mencho, reputed person of the almighty Jalisco New Generation cartel.

The band, Los Alegres del Barranco, projected a likeness of the secretive capo during a performance Saturday astatine the Telmex Auditorium successful Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara, triggering protests.

The radical “portrayed images glorifying cause kingpin ‘El Mencho’ — caput of the grotesquely convulsive CJNG cartel,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, wrote Tuesday connected X.

As a result, the State Department revoked the enactment and tourer visas of set members, wrote Landau, who served arsenic ambassador to Mexico during portion of President Trump’s archetypal term.

“I’m a steadfast believer successful state of expression, but that doesn’t mean that look should beryllium escaped of consequences,” Landau wrote. “In the Trump Administration, we instrumentality earnestly our work implicit foreigners’ entree to our country. The past happening we request is simply a invited mat for radical who extol criminals and terrorists.”

The Trump medication has designated six Mexican cartels, including the Jalisco gang, arsenic overseas violent organizations.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has offered a $15-million reward for accusation starring to the apprehension and/or condemnation of El Mencho.

The photograph of a young El Mencho that flashed connected the surface is among the lone nationalist images of the reputed kingpin, who is believed to beryllium 58.

He began his vocation arsenic a small-time cause trader successful California. El Mencho went to situation aft his 1992 apprehension for selling heroin to an undercover constabulary serviceman successful San Francisco.

After his merchandise from a U.S. prison, helium returned to Mexico, reportedly became a constabulary serviceman and mob deed man, and worked his mode up to go a laminitis of the Jalisco New Generation cartel.

His son, Rubén Oseguera Gonzalez, known arsenic El Menchito — reportedly the cartel’s erstwhile 2nd successful bid to his begetter — was sentenced to beingness successful a U.S. situation past period aft his drug-trafficking condemnation successful national territory court.

Even earlier Washington moved to cancel the musicians’ visas, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had called for an probe into the incidental successful which El Mencho’s representation was projected.

Mexican authorities person been trying to discourage affirmative depictions of cause traffickers, whose exploits are often lionized by bands reciting fashionable corridos, oregon ballads, exalting the transgression life. Officials presumption specified characterizations arsenic de facto advertisements for Mexican organized transgression groups, which are among the nation’s largest employers.

The performance astatine which the representation of El Mencho appeared came a fewer weeks aft a ungraded implicit the find of a former cartel grooming campy successful the countryside astir 35 miles extracurricular Guadalajara. Human rights activists accidental galore cartel recruits whitethorn person been killed astatine the site, wherever searchers recovered hundreds of shoes and articles of clothing, on with charred bones.

Mexican authorities person rejected the conception that the tract was an “extermination camp,” labeling it a grooming facility.

The camp, authorities said, was 1 of a fig of grooming grounds for El Mencho’s Jalisco New Generation cartel, which is among Mexico’s largest — and astir convulsive — transgression groups. The cartel has a beingness successful the United States and beyond.

Los Alegres del Barranco, with origins the occidental authorities of Sinaloa, is simply a fashionable set some successful Mexico and among migrant communities successful the United States. The set was astir to embark connected a U.S. tour, with performances scheduled successful Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama and California.

After announcement of the visa cancellation, Pável Moreno, the band’s accordion subordinate and 2nd vocalist, said successful a TikTok video that the radical was “moving forward,” and thanked the group’s fans.