Mexican band Grupo Firme cancels US show, saying their visas were suspended by Trump administration
The popular Mexican regional music band Grupo Firme announced on Friday that it was canceling a performance in a music festival in California over the weekend after the United States government suspended the musicians' visas.
It comes after the U.S. State Department has revoked visas of a number of Mexican musicians for playing a genre of music that it says glorifies cartel violence.
The group, which has soared to international fame playing Mexican regional music, said in a statement posted on its Instagram account that the visas of them and their team are currently under 'administrative review by the U.S. Embassy" and that it would make it 'impossible' for them to perform in the La Onda Fest to be held in the city of Napa Valley, California on June 1. But the post didn't detail what it would mean in the long term for the musical group.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said that visa cases are confidential according to U.S. law and couldn't provide more information on the case.
The suspension is just the latest in a series of moves the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has taken targeting Mexican artists in the genre, who in some cases have glorified the leaders of cartels as sort of Robin Hood figures. While the genre of 'narco-corridos' has stirred controversy, much of the music also speaks to the harsh realities facing Mexican youth caught in cartel violence.
Two months ago, the Mexican musical group Los Alegres del Barranco was sanctioned after it projected images of the leader of the feared Jalisco New Generation Cartel at a concert in the western state of Jalisco.
'I'm a firm believer in freedom of expression, but that doesn't mean that expression should be free of consequences,' U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said at the time. 'The last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and terrorists.'
But Grupo Firme has taken steps in recent months to distance itself from the facet of the musical genre glorifying criminal groups, announcing in April shortly after the controversy that it would not sing such music in concerts.
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The Sun
36 minutes ago
- The Sun
AB Hernandez grins on podium as trans athlete wins state championship despite ‘violent' protests over competition
TRANS athlete AB Hernandez was seen grinning and flaunting medals after defeating female rivals at the California state track championship. Hernandez claimed gold in the high jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state finals - defying Donald Trump 's executive order that bans trans athletes from women's sports. 9 9 9 9 9 Violent protests erupted yesterday as the trans pupil, 16, sparked a heated row after competing in women's sports. Trump had said on social media that he was 'ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow' Hernandez to compete. But the CIF this week introduced a new policy that allowed an additional student to compete and win medals in the events where Hernandez qualified. This is why the trans athlete shared winning spots with at least one female rival. Hernandez claimed tied-first place in the varsity high jump final alongside Lelani Laruelle and Jillene Wetteland - both females. The trans athlete later won another first-place in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher - who trailed by just over a half-meter. But the sports row surrounding Hernandez took a dramatic turn yesterday after furious protesters gathered around the stadium to denounce the trans teen. They were seen carrying placards and boards outside the Veterans' Memorial Stadium, where the sporting event took place. A banner reading "NO BOYS IN GIRLS' SPORTS!" was flown above the sporting venue during the high school track-and-field championships. Trump rips into boxer Imane Khelif about controversial Olympics win against Angela Carini The protests quickly turned violent after one person was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Clovis police Sgt. Chris Hutchison told the Chronicle. He said the person - understood to be an LGBTQ activist - allegedly used a Pride flag to smash a car window, leaving a person injured. During the heats, furious high school parents berated Hernandez's mother for the trans athlete's dominant victory. The video, which has now gone viral on TikTok, shows the parents hounding Hernandez's mother for allowing the teen to compete. One of the parents can be heard yelling at the mother: "What a coward of a woman you are allowing that." Hernandez's story previously made headlines after another teenage girl, who the athlete beat to first place in a separate contest, waited for Hernandez to descend from the podium before moving to pose in the top spot. In the TikTok, the parent can also be heard shouting: "Your mental illness is on your son, coward." 9 9 More than half of the US states have implemented bans on trans youth athletes participating since 2020. But California state law allows the participation of trans women and girls in women's sports. Trump posted on Truth Social: "Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to." His message refers to an Executive Order from February titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports". In an interview with Capital & Main, Hernandez, from Jurupa Valley, California, said: "There's nothing I can do about people's actions, just focus on my own." The trans pupil faced heckling and protesters in the crowd at a track meet earlier this month and was accompanied by campus security and Sheriff's Department deputies, CNN has reported. 9
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Trans athlete AB Hernandez slammed by protestors after beating female peers in California championship finals
Transgender woman AB Hernandez sparked outrage as she leapt to victory against her female peers at the California high school championships Saturday. Hernandez, 17, claimed gold in the high jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state finals, facing criticism from protestors and parents as she stormed to victory under a new rule change. The CIF had announced a new policy earlier this week in response to backlash surrounding Hernandez's success heading into the championships. Under the change, the federation allowed an additional student to compete and medal in the events where Hernandez qualified, meaning she shared her finish with at least one other competitor in all three events. Hernandez claimed tied-first place in the varsity high jump final, sharing the spot atop the podium with female competitors Lelani Laruelle and Jillene Wetteland. The trio cleared the 5' 7" mark to split the gold medal three ways, while Julia Teven to settle for third. She later wrapped up the night with another first-place finish, this time in the triple jump. She again shared the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher, who trailed by just over a half-meter. Earlier in the afternoon, she could only manage a second-place finish in the long jump event after her jump of 20' 8¾" fell just short of the winning 21' 0¼" mark set by Loren Webster. Hernandez beamed as she posed alongside co-second Brooke White. The dramatic row surrounding Hernandez's participation had sparked fury across the U.S., with President Donald Trump even threatening to hold back 'large scale Federal Funding' and blasting the state governor who he claims has continued to 'ILLEGALLY allow "MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN'S SPORTS"'. In February, Trump signed an executive order banning trans athletes from women's sports called 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports'. Both Hernandez and her mother Nereyda refused to comment on the president's furious response when asked by following the finals. In previous meets, Hernandez has faced controversy from her own competitors - with a teenage girl she beat to first place waiting for her rival to get down from the top of the podium before posing up there herself. Meanwhile, her mom has been confronted by angry parents whose daughters are losing out on gold medals as a result. Ahead of Saturday's championships, Hernandez and her escort traipsed past protestors who had once again voiced their outrage against the athlete's participation. The demonstrators, who were forced to carry out their protest outside the stadium due to the CIF's rules, carried signs sayings 'NO DUDES IN GIRLS SPACES' and 'NO CHILD IS BORN IN THE WRONG BODY.' Despite the CIF's ban on banners and signs inside the ground, the message of the protestors could be heard over the fence. 'No guys in girls sports,' one man's shout was blasted through a megaphone as Hernandez made her first jump, which she shockingly scratched. Yet, Hernandez wasn't to be deterred. Brushing off the interruption, she bounced back to form, going on to cruise to her two golds and silver medal. However, protestor Beth Bourne, 55, from Davis, California, insisted that her outrage wasn't directed at Hernandez, but rather her mother. 'I feel huge compassion for this young man, this boy, he's 17 years old,' Bourne, a member of the 'Moms for Liberty Yolo County' group, told 'He has a mother who's been duped to believe that her child could be born in the wrong body. 'Many of these feminine boys could grow up to be gay, healthy men. AB Hernandez enjoys wearing makeup, long hair, dresses. His mother believes that rather than letting her son grow up to be a gay boy, that he could be a trans woman, right? So if you have a mother who is affirming a young boy to believe that he could grow up to be a woman.' 'We want to protect his body,' Bourne added. 'We do not want him to be a medical experiment. We don't want him to lose his healthy sexual organs. 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'She has lied to AB in affirming his identity - the total façade - and in the process has harmed real women. I have empathy for AB. He's a victim as well. But that doesn't give him the right to trample on women in the process to fulfill his happiness. 'AB Hernandez is of course not the first boy to compete in the state of California - whether it's track and field, whatever sport it may be. He is following the rules. So I don't have any animosity or hatred or wish any sort of ill will on the boy. Ultimately, it's the rules that are the problem. 'Harm [is] being done because of his acceptance into women's sports and women's spaces. That's what has been relayed to me by many of the girls who have competed against AB. 'Sports are not about inclusion at the level he's competing. It's not about your feelings. It's about winning, to put it as bluntly as possible. Women aren't just a tool used to fulfill men's happiness. That's not what we are. Unfortunately, that's what women are being used for again. But we say enough. 'I'm not trying to rid anyone of opportunities. I believe every single person should play sports. But play in the categories that are safe and fair to everyone. 'We cannot prioritize inclusion over safety and fairness. That undermines the foundation of what sports were created to do.'
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
AB Hernandez: 16-year-old transgender athlete wins two golds and a silver as participation sparks controversy
A 16-year-old transgender athlete who is the focus of a US sports row has won two golds and a silver at the California high school track and field championship. AB Hernandez was born a boy but has transitioned and now competes against girls. And the teenager's inclusion in the girls category in the high jump, long jump and triple jump became a national conversation. Critics, including parents, conservative activists and President Trump, had called for Hernandez to be barred from competing. Who is AB Hernandez? In the city of Clovis on Saturday, she took part under a new rule change brought in by the state's interscholastic federation, under which an extra student was allowed to compete and win a medal in the events where Hernandez qualified. And it meant there were two winners when she finished first. Hernandez shared first place in the high jump with Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle. All three cleared a height of 5ft 7in (1.7m), but Hernandez had no failed attempts, while the other two had each logged one failure. Hernandez also had a first-place finish in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher, who trailed her by more than half a metre. Also, Hernandez came second in the long jump with Brooke White. "Sharing the podium was nothing but an honour," White said. "As a part of the queer community I want AB Hernandez to know we all have her back." Plane protest During Hernandez's qualifying events on Friday, a plane flew over the stadium trailing a banner, which read: "No boys in girls' sports." It was organised and paid for by two women's advocacy groups. A small protest also took place on the road outside. "Save girls' sports," one poster read. "XX does not equal XY," read another. Transgender inclusion is a thorny issue but a vote winner for Donald Trump, who campaigned last year with a promise to "kick out men from women's sport". He signed an executive order seeking to ban transgender women from female sports. And Mr Trump has threatened to withdraw federal funding from California over Hernandez's participation in this weekend's athletics event. 'Pilot entry process' The California Interscholastic Federation had earlier said it was launching a "pilot entry process" to allow more girls to participate in the championship. It only applied to the three events in which Hernandez competed. The rule change may be the first attempt nationally by a high school sports governing body to expand competition when trans athletes are participating. If a transgender athlete wins a medal, their ranking would not displace a "biological female" student from also medalling, the federation confirmed, and it will be reflected in the records. The federation said the rule opens the field to more "biological female" athletes. The organisation did not specify how it defines "biological female" or how it would verify whether a competitor meets that definition.
