adminMexican security forces say they killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes — known as “El Mencho” — during a military operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco on February 22, 2026, a development that should be celebrated by anyone tired of cartel terror. U.S. officials have acknowledged they provided intelligence support for the mission, proving that when Washington and Mexico cooperate, decisive results are possible.
The cartel’s predictable and savage retaliation erupted almost immediately: burning vehicles, road blockades and violent confrontations spread across Jalisco and other states as criminals tried to assert control. In response, the U.S. State Department issued shelter-in-place advisories for Americans in Jalisco and multiple other Mexican states, a stark reminder that ordinary travelers and families pay the price for cartel warfare.
The human toll of the backlash has been horrific, with Mexican officials reporting dozens dead and at least 25 National Guard members killed in separate attacks after the raid — a grim testament to the cartel’s reach and ruthlessness. Authorities logged scores of blockades, arrests and damage to public property as Mexican forces struggled to restore order across affected regions.
Let’s be blunt: the Jalisco New Generation Cartel built its power by trafficking fentanyl and other poisons into American communities, and our drug demand and porous border policies fuel their coffers. Until Washington treats the border as the national-security crisis it is — enforcing laws, cutting off cash flows, and cooperating with regional partners — victories like this will be pyrrhic. Conservative policymakers who have long warned that soft-on-crime, soft-on-border policies invite blowback were proven right today.
Credit where credit is due: Mexico’s armed forces moved with boldness that too many of our own leaders in Washington lack, and U.S. intelligence cooperation helped get the job done. At the same time, airlines suspended flights to Puerto Vallarta and other destinations as the violence unfolded, showing how cartel violence instantly damages tourism and livelihoods on both sides of the border.
Americans planning travel to Mexico should heed government warnings and rethink vacations until security is genuinely restored; our families shouldn’t be bargaining chips in a narco-state’s vendetta. Washington must also use this moment to stop playing politics with public safety — more enforcement, tougher penalties for traffickers and real cooperation with Mexico will save lives.
This was a necessary blow against one of the most brutal criminal enterprises on the continent, but it must not be the last chapter. Patriots in the United States should demand their leaders turn this tactical victory into strategic policy: secure the border, choke cartel revenue, and back law enforcement — at home and abroad — until the scourge of drug cartels is crushed for good.
