US revokes visas for Mexican band after “glorifying” drug cartel leader
Mexican corrido band Los Alegres del Barranco have had their visas revoked by the US Department of State after they used imagery of the notorious cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (El Mencho) during a recent concert performance.
The corrido outfit were scheduled to perform a handful of dates in the United States, beginning in Austin, Texas, on April 5th. During a performance in Guadalajara last weekend, however, the band displayed a backdrop image of ‘El Mencho’, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel group, which was designated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation earlier this year.
Alongside showing an image of the cartel kingpin, the band performed a track which further seemed to praise the cartel leader, referring to him as “a man of war who loves his family”. This performance drew criticism from the Mexican government, with President Claudia Sheinbaum calling the performance “a glorification of crime.”
Following this controversy, US lawmakers quickly revoked the visas of the touring band, preventing them from performing their scheduled concert in Austin. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau shared, “I’m a firm believer in freedom of expression, but that doesn’t mean that expression should be free of consequences,” in a social media post on Tuesday.
The lawmaker continued, “I’m pleased to announce that the State Department has revoked the band members’ work and tourism visas. In the Trump Administration, we take seriously our responsibility over foreigners’ access to our country. The last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and terrorists.”
This is not the first time that the Trump administration has targeted musicians. A few weeks ago, members of the legendary English punk band UK Subs were detained and deported from LAX Airport.
At the time, authorities claimed that the band had the wrong type of visa. However, bassist Alvin Gibbs theorised that the band’s harsh treatment was due to its repeated criticism of President Donald Trump.
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