The State Department urged U.S. citizens in several Mexican states to shelter in place until further notice over the fallout of the killing of Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," the longtime leader of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), on Sunday.
The notice includes the following locations: "Jalisco State (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara), Tamaulipas State (including Reynosa and other municipalities), areas of Michoacan State, Guerrero State, and Nuevo Leon State."
Mexico: Due to ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity, U.S. citizens in the following locations should shelter in place until further notice: Jalisco State (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara), Tamaulipas State (including… pic.twitter.com/mYXVfMSvmT
— TravelGov (@TravelGov) February 22, 2026
The U.S. Embassy in the country described the ongoing situation as "security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity." It advised people there to avoid areas around law enforcement activity and minimize unnecessary movements, among others.
The alert took place shortly after the Mexican military killed "El Mencho" on Sunday. It is one of the most consequential blows to a major Mexican criminal organization in years, both because the CJNG has been widely described as among the country's most powerful and violent groups, and because Oseguera Cervantes had remained a fugitive despite a years-long, binational manhunt that included a U.S. State Department reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
According to reports from the AP, the operation occurred in the western state of Jalisco and was followed by roadblocks and burning vehicles, a tactic frequently used by cartels to slow security forces. The strike was part of an operation in the mountains of Jalisco and was framed as a major security success for President Claudia Sheinbaum's government, adding that more official details were expected, added Mexican journalist Joaquín López Dóriga.
Mexico's Secretariat of Defense confirmed that "El Mencho" died during a clash between members of the military and cartel operatives. It noted that four cartel operatives were killed in the clash, while three others were seriously injured. One of them was Oseguera Cervantes, who died while being taken to Mexico City. No military members died during the operation, authorities added.
Oseguera Cervantes rose from local criminal networks into the top tier of Mexico's underworld, becoming the face of CJNG's rapid expansion. The cartel emerged after fractures in earlier organizations, and over time built a reputation for combining sophisticated trafficking with aggressive territorial violence, as well as diversification into other illicit businesses.
According to In Sight Crime, CJNG is not just a cartel. It has been described by U.S. officials and researchers as a network that grew by absorbing or partnering with existing criminal cells in multiple regions, which is one reason "decapitation" events can trigger unpredictable splintering.
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