The State Department on Sunday issued a warning to U.S. citizens in certain parts of Mexico to shelter in place until further notice on account of “ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity.”
The regions listed in the advisory include the Mexican states of Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon.
The warning came after the Mexican army killed the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, or “El Mencho,” on Sunday, Mexico’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement on the social platform X.
Violent clashes erupted in parts of western Mexico after the drug lord’s death, with burning vehicles blocking roads in Jalisco and other states. The Security Cabinet of the Government of Mexico reported 21 active highway blockades as of midday Sunday.
Roadblocks are commonly used by cartels to disrupt military operations, according to The Associated Press.
Videos on social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and people sprinting in panic through Guadalajara International Airport.
Several airlines have issued travel advisories or halted flights. Jalisco canceled school for Monday.
President Trump in recent months has said that he was willing to launch strikes inside Mexico if necessary to thwart the smuggling of illegal narcotics into the U.S. His comments came after the U.S. military began taking out alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has pushed back against Trump’s threats of intervention.
