Staff Reports
Mexico has once again paid the price for lawlessness when Mexican security forces killed Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes on February 22, 2026 — a rare win against a monstrous cartel boss that immediately sparked violent retaliation across the country. What should have been a cause for cautious optimism instead turned into chaos as cartel operatives set fires, blocked highways and engaged security forces in pitched battles across Jalisco and neighboring states.
The aftermath has left American tourists and expatriates stranded and scared in once-safe resort towns; the U.S. Embassy and consulates in Mexico warned U.S. citizens to shelter in place in parts of Jalisco, Tamaulipas and several other states, explicitly naming Puerto Vallarta, Chapala and Guadalajara. Sheltering in place is not theater — it is the sober direction of a government watching widespread roadblocks and criminal activity that has disrupted airline operations and local services.
Airlines and airports scrambled as the violence spread, with international and domestic flights canceled and travelers observing scenes of burned buses and blocked roads; the tourism industry faces immediate damage while ordinary Americans wait for clear guidance and safe routes home. This is the predictable—yet unacceptable—consequence when cartels feel cornered: they lash out at civilians and infrastructure to show they can still terrorize whole regions.
Social media and some commentators circulated alarming claims that Americans were being taken hostage on highways and near hotels; those reports are circulating widely but remain unverified by major outlets, even as they fuel panic among families and travelers. That uncertainty is proof positive that in moments like these, people deserve straight facts and decisive action from their leaders, not reflexive reassurances or partisan spin.
Americans have a right to be furious: porous borders and weak enforcement have allowed cartels to build cross-border networks that threaten U.S. citizens abroad and poison our communities at home. If U.S. intelligence and military cooperation helped bring down a top cartel figure, Washington must be honest with the public about the risks that follow and must be prepared to protect Americans — whether by diplomatic pressure, consular evacuations, or targeted actions to neutralize cartel capabilities.
To the hardworking families watching this unfold: keep your loved ones informed, enroll travelers in STEP, and heed official shelter-in-place orders until authorities say otherwise. This moment should steel our resolve to demand secure borders, robust law enforcement cooperation, and a government that puts the safety of American citizens first — at home and abroad.
