U.S. Cancels Visas for Mexican Group After Showing Cartel Leader Photos in Concert
The U.S. State Department has canceled the work and tourist visas of the members of Mexican corrido group Los Alegres del Barranco after they displayed images of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as 'El Mencho,' during a concert on Saturday (March 29) at an auditorium at the University of Guadalajara.
The news was confirmed on Tuesday (April 1) by Christopher Landau, the Deputy Secretary of State, in a post on X.
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'I'm a firm believer in freedom of expression, but that doesn't mean that expression should be free of consequences,' wrote Landau in his post. 'A Mexican band, Los Alegres del Barranco, portrayed images glorifying drug kingpin 'El Mencho' — head of the grotesquely violent CJNG cartel — at a recent concert in Mexico. I'm pleased to announce that the State Department has revoked the band members' work and tourism visas. In the Trump Administration, we take seriously our responsibility over foreigners' access to our country. The last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and terrorists.'
The State Department, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio, announced on Feb. 20 the designation of eight cartels and transnational organizations — including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel — as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT).
Prior to Landau's announcement, the concert had caused significant controversy and outrage in Mexico, which has long tried to curb the glorification of drug lords in popular Mexican music and narcocorridos.
The concert was condemned on Monday (March 31) by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. It prompted the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office to launch an investigation for 'glorification of crime.'
On Tuesday (April 1), the governor of Jalisco, Pablo Lemus, wrote in a post on X that his government supports the measures adopted by the University of Guadalajara to prevent criminal acts from being glorified at concerts, as occurred over the weekend at the Telmex Auditorium. The local leader said he signed an executive order to ensure that no singer or group with a history of endorsing criminal activity will perform at events linked to his government.
'Next week, I will introduce an initiative to ensure that, in any legally sanctioned public event, producers and performers are held accountable for what happens during their shows, and no one can wash their hands of responsibility,' Lemus announced.
Los Alegres del Barranco were scheduled to play shows in several U.S. cities, where the band was announced as part of the lineup for the Bésame Mucho festival April 5 in Austin, Texas. In a TikTok livestream on Tuesday, Pavel Morales, a member of the Sinaloan group, stated that the majority of their audience supports them and referred to their critics as 'confused.'
Billboard Español reached out for comment to the band's reps, but hasn't received a reply by press time. Meanwhile, authorities from the municipality of Pedro Escobedo, in the Mexican state of Querétaro, confirmed on Tuesday that the group's scheduled performance for April 19 was canceled because 'it does not meet the necessary municipal permits for its realization,' the local government said in a statement on Tuesday.
The projection of the controversial images took place during a concert titled 'Los Señores del Corrido' at the Telmex Auditorium, where Los Alegres del Barranco performed the song 'El Dueño del Palenque' (The Owner of the Palenque) and displayed on screen photos of the cartel leader, as well as other images created by AI.
The images appeared on multiple videos on social media. They include the moments in which fans burst into cheers when the images of the cartel leader were shown, adding to the controversy.
In a statement, Auditorio Telmex Adistanced itself from the events, arguing that the venue 'has no influence on the selection of the repertoire, speeches, or audiovisual material that artists decide to share with their audiences.' However, it acknowledged that the images of the kingpin could be considered an 'exultation of crime.'
The controversy over the alleged tribute to the drug trafficker arises after information has surfaced over how the cartel uses clandestine ranches to recruit people through deceptive job offers, according to federal authorities and media reports. This followed the recent discovery of Izaguirre Ranch in early March in the municipality of Teuchitlán, where acts of torture and murder were allegedly committed, according to the Guerreros Buscadores collective.
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Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
