US revokes visas of Mexican band who paid homage to cartel boss ‘El Mencho’

The determination set Los Alegres del Barranco faces ineligible and nonrecreational fallout pursuing a play show successful which they paid tribute to Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, a notorious cause lord. 

On Monday, the United States reportedly revoked the Mexican band’s enactment and question visas, and Mexican authorities are pursuing imaginable transgression charges.

🚨 Polémica en Guadalajara: Durante el concierto de Los Alegres del Barranco, apareció la imagen de “El Mencho” en las pantallas, generando indignación.

Las autoridades investigan mientras crece la preocupación por la normalización del crimen organizado en la cultura popular. pic.twitter.com/eF1hkad5Qh

— Códices Oaxaca (@codicesoax) March 31, 2025

During a performance successful Guadalajara, Jalisco, connected Saturday night, the set played 1 of their astir fashionable corridos, “El del Palenque.”

The corrido — a accepted Mexican communicative ballad often depicting existent radical oregon events — pays homage to “El Mencho” and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which helium allegedly leads.

As the set performed the song, images of “El Mencho” were displayed connected the large surface down the stage, eliciting cheers from the audience. Later, they performed a opus astir erstwhile Sinaloa Cartel brag Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán portion flashing his representation connected the large screen. 

“El Chapo” is presently serving a beingness condemnation successful a U.S. national prison.

Los Alegres del Barranco is scheduled to execute connected April 4 successful Tulsa, Oklahoma, and connected April 5 successful Austin, Texas. According to the paper El Universal, a typical of the U.S. Department of Justice said the band’s visas were canceled for “promoting a radical defined arsenic terrorists successful the United States.”

In February, the U.S. authorities designated the CJNG, the Sinaloa Cartel and 4 different Mexican organized transgression groups arsenic violent organizations.

Indignation and backlash pursuing Los Alegres del Barranco’s GDL performance

Outrage erupted erstwhile a video of the incidental was made public. The set was criticized not lone for their actions but besides for their insensitivity.

The performance took spot astatine an arena owned by the University of Guadalajara (UdeG), conscionable 60 kilometers from the Izaguirre Ranch, an alleged extermination campy linked to the CJNG.

The U.S. State Department is presently offering US $15 cardinal for accusation starring to the apprehension and/or condemnation of “El Mencho,” who is allegedly starring the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). (state.gov)

In a societal media post, Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus said “outrage [following the spectacle] is not enough.” He said the set and its shaper volition beryllium summoned to testify, lamenting that they were “advocating violence.”

The Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office has opened an probe into the set citing the complaint of “apología del delito” (“glorification of crime”) A condemnation could effect successful a situation condemnation of up to six months.

On Monday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the set for its homage to a wanted transgression and suggested national authorities mightiness unfastened an investigation. She besides said organizers of the lawsuit should beryllium called to the carpet.

The UdeG was vilified for allowing the glorification of a transgression to instrumentality spot connected its premises. 

University Rector Ricardo Villanueva said the assemblage had nary power implicit the contented astatine the event, but said the assemblage would see inserting clauses successful aboriginal contracts to prohibit expressions that incite unit oregon glorify crime.

Governor Lemus backed the idea, proposing that lawsuit organizers and producers should beryllium required to motion “a missive of committedness … to debar making specified references, different they volition look monetary and transgression sanctions.”

Several Mexican states person enacted measures to restrict oregon authorisation the nationalist show of narcocorridos, but Jalisco is not among them.

With reports from El Universal, Milenio, ABC Noticias and Infobae