The U.S. State Department revoked Los Alegres del Barranco members’ work and tourist visas after the Mexican band performed before an image of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” at a March 29, 2025 concert in Zapopan, Jalisco. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced the decision on April 1. The move disrupted the band’s planned U.S. tour, which was due to begin April 4.
What happened at the concert?
On March 29, 2025, Los Alegres del Barranco performed at the University of Guadalajara in Zapopan. As the band played “El Dueño del Palenque,” an image of Oseguera Cervantes appeared on a large screen, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” leads the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Landau characterized the images as glorifying the cartel leader. That description was his assessment; the reported display alone does not establish the band’s intent.
Why were the band members’ U.S. visas revoked?
On April 1, 2025, then-Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced that the State Department had revoked the band members’ work and tourism visas. He wrote that he believed in freedom of expression, “but that doesn’t mean that expression should be free of consequences.” He also said the band had portrayed images “glorifying” El Mencho at a concert in Mexico. Those were Landau’s stated reasons and characterization of the incident, rather than a neutral finding about the band’s intent. The Associated Press reported his announcement on April 2.
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What happened to the band’s U.S. tour?
The visa revocations disrupted a U.S. tour scheduled to start April 4, 2025, according to the Los Angeles Times. The planned dates included a May 25 performance in Pico Rivera, California. The reporting tied the tour’s disruption to the members’ loss of the visas needed for their U.S. work and travel.
How did the band respond?
The group later apologized in a Spanish-language statement and video. As KQED reported, the band said, “it was never our intention to create controversy, much less cause offense.” The apology expressed the group’s position; it does not change the State Department’s announced visa action.
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What investigations followed the performance?
The AP reported that prosecutors in two Mexican states opened investigations after the projected images drew widespread public outrage in Mexico. A July 2025 Los Angeles Times follow-up reported that a criminal investigation against the band had been suspended. The available reporting does not establish the final disposition of every investigation or whether later proceedings occurred. It also does not report that charges were filed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What are narcocorridos, and how does this incident fit?
The AP described the controversy in the context of debate over narcocorridos, a type of song criticized by some for romanticizing drug cartels. Corridos and regional Mexican music are much broader categories: a song’s place within those traditions does not by itself mean it praises criminal groups. The concert’s reported imagery and the band’s performance became part of that debate, but the incident should not be treated as representative of every corrido or regional Mexican artist.
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