US revokes visas of Mexican band members after cartel leader's face was
projected at a concert
[April 03, 2025]
By MEGAN JANETSKY
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department revoked the visas of
members of a Mexican band after they projected the face of a drug cartel
boss onto a large screen during a performance in the western state of
Jalisco over the weekend.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who was U.S.
ambassador to Mexico during the first Trump administration, said late
Tuesday on X that the work and tourism visas of members of Los Alegres
del Barranco were revoked.
The visa revocations follow widespread outrage in Mexico over the
concert as prosecutors in two states have launched investigations into
the projected images, and a larger national reckoning over how to
address the rise of a popular musical genre criticized for romanticizing
drug cartels.
“I’m a firm believer in freedom of expression, but that doesn’t mean
that expression should be free of consequences,” Landau wrote on X. “The
last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and
terrorists.”
The controversy broke out over the weekend when the face of Nemesio
Rubén "El Mencho" Oseguera layered over flames was projected behind the
band, originally hailing from Sinaloa, during the concert. Finger
pointing ensued among the band, concert producers and the venue.
Oseguera is the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which has
been connected to a ranch authorities say was used to train cartel
recruits and possibly dispose of bodies in Jalisco, where searchers
found human bone fragments, heaps of clothing and shoes.
The Jalisco cartel is among other criminal groups in Mexico that have
been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump
administration.
While the image was met by applause during the concert, Jalisco
prosecutors quickly announced they were summoning the band to testify in
an investigation into whether they were promoting violence, a crime
which could result in a penalty of up to six months in prison. The state
of Michoacan also announced an investigation into the Los Alegres del
Barranco for projecting the same images during a concert in the city of
Uruapan.
Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus said that the state would ban musical
performances that glorify violence, adding that violators would “face
monetary and criminal sanctions.”
“We know that outrage is not enough,” Lemus said. “Of course it’s
possible to ban (the music).”
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Then U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau delivers a
statement to members of the media at the Benito Juarez International
Airport, upon his arrival to Mexico City, Aug. 16, 2019. (AP
Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)
 Since, a number of the band's future
shows have been cancelled, one town's government saying that the
show “didn't have the municipal permissions needed” to carry out the
performance.
Pavel Moreno, the band's accordion player and back-up singer, didn't
respond to questions by fans asking if his visa had been revoked,
simply thanking them for support and saying that "everything is
fine.”
The band was scheduled to play in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 4. While
the event hasn't been publicly cancelled, ticket sales websites
read: “No tickets available for now on our site" for that date.
The dispute coincides with a larger cultural debate in Mexico as
artists like Peso Pluma, Fuerza Regida and Natanael Cano usher in a
global renaissance of Mexican regional music, by mixing classic
ballads with trap music. In 2023, Peso Pluma beat Taylor Swift out
as the most streamed artist on YouTube.
Many of the artists now topping the charts have come under fierce
criticism because their lyrics often paint cartel leaders as Robin
Hood-esque figures. Others say that the genre, known as “narco
corridos”, expresses the harsh realities of many youths across
Mexico.
A number of Mexican states have banned public performances of the
music in recent years, the most recent being the state of Nayarit in
February. Some of the bans have come as famed artists have received
death threats from cartels, forcing a number of them to cancel their
performances.
Others, including Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum, have sought a
less aggressive approach to addressing the genre. Sheinbaum, who has
come out against censoring the music, has suggested instead that the
Mexican government push forward initiatives that promote Mexican
regional music with more socially acceptable lyrics.
The Mexican leader did harden her language on the topic following
the Los Alegres del Barranco concert. In her morning news briefing
this week, Sheinbaum demanded an investigation into the concert,
saying: “You can’t justify violence or criminal groups.”
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