No Entry for Narco Cheerleaders

U.S. and Mexico Pull the Plug on Banda That Praised “El Mencho

Looks like the U.S. and Mexico are finally singing the same tune—and it’s not a narcocorrido.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Christopher Landau, who also served as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, confirmed on April 1 that the U.S. has revoked both work and tourist visas for all members of the Mexican band Los Alegres del Barranco. Why? Because they thought it was a good idea to glorify El Mencho—one of Mexico’s most wanted drug lords—during two concerts in Jalisco and Michoacán.

The shows featured songs and video tributes to Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” leader of the CJNG cartel—one of the most violent criminal organizations in the region.

Landau made it crystal clear in his post on X: “Freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences. We’re not rolling out the welcome mat for anyone glorifying criminals and terrorists.”

And Mexico isn’t sitting this one out either. President Claudia Sheinbaum called for an investigation, saying, “That shouldn’t happen. It’s not right.” But it didn’t stop there.

The mayor of Zapopan confirmed that a formal complaint was filed with the Jalisco State Attorney’s Office—against both the venue (the University of Guadalajara Auditorium) and the band itself. On top of that, the City of Zapopan announced a fine of 300 Unidades de Medida y Actualización (UMA), which comes out to 33,942 pesos. So yes, real consequences are happening on both sides of the border.

Whether you’re in a cowboy hat or a business suit, praising a cartel boss just got a whole lot more expensive—and a whole lot less welcome.

Zero tolerance is the name of the game now. U.S. or Mexico—narco worship is out of tune

Luisa Rosas-Hernández

Luisa Rosas-Hernández is a writer for the Gringo Gazette North, where she covers Baja’s wine scene, good eats, and public safety—with a healthy dose of wit and no bad news allowed. By day, she’s a health researcher recognized by Mexico’s National System of Researchers (SNI), and by night, she handles the Gazette’s finances and dabbles in social media—making sure the numbers add up and the posts pop. When she’s not chasing stories or crunching data, you’ll likely find her in the Valle enjoying a glass of red (or a crisp white with oysters)… for research purposes, of course.

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