Senator warns Mexican narco-terrorists are ‘looking down Americans’ in struggle zone Puerto Vallarta as 1000’s attempt to escape on flights: Live updates

On Feb 23, 2026

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and ELIOT FORCE, US NEWS REPORTER and STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER

Updated: 21:47, 23 February 2026

An Ohio Republican senator claimed Mexican cartels are targeting American tourists as gang unrest spreads across the country.

Bernie Moreno wrote on X on Monday that the U.S. should halt trade talks and warned of ‘violent and terminal retribution’ if any American is harmed in Mexico.

The US State Department has issued a shelter in place order due to ‘ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity’ that encompasses vacation hotspots like Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum.

President Trump took to Truth Social on Monday to declare that the nation needed to ‘step up their effort’ on cartel and drug problems as cars and businesses were destroyed across the country.

The gunfire between narco gangs and officials began after the Mexican Army went into the rustic town of Tapalpa, which is about 170 miles southeast of Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco on Sunday, where they killed Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, according to high-ranking officials who spoke with local publications.

El Mencho was the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most powerful drug cartels that plays a key role in trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl to the US.

Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan and Guanajuato reported at least 14 people were killed Sunday, including seven National Guard troops as videos circulating on social media showed tourists walking on beaches with smoke rising in the distance.

Follow along for live updates.

GOP senator says Americans are being hunted by cartel gangs in Puerto Vallarta as shelter in place order is issued

Bernie Moreno took to X on Monday to relay ‘troubling’ reports that narco-terrorists are ‘hunting down American citizens’ in Puerto Vallarta amid gangs clashing with authorities in the city.

‘The drug cartels should be aware that if any American citizen is harmed in Mexico there will be a violent and terminal retribution from the US. Any USMCA negotiations should cease until this situation is resolved,’ the senator added.

Prisoners escape Puerto Vallarta prison

Authorities in Jalisco confirmed on Monday that at least 23 prisoners from a low security prison in Puerto Vallarta had escaped from jail amid the city’s unrest.

In a news conference, officials issued a warning to neighboring states in efforts to capture the fugitives.

Smoke billows from burning vehicles amid a wave of violence, with torched vehicles and gunmen blocking highways in more than half a dozen states, following a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as "El Mencho," was killed, in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, February 22, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. @morelifediares via Instagram/Youtube/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Verification: Reuters confirmed the location as Puerto Vallarta by the road layout, trees, buildings and businesses logos which matched file and satellite imagery. The shape of the mountains matched topography mapping. The date when the videos were filmed was verified by original file metadata.

Rocket launchers seized in deadly raid on cartel boss ‘El Mencho’ as violence explodes and US role revealed

Mexican forces seized rocket launchers as they conducted a deadly raid on a major cartel leader Sunday, sparking violence and chaos in a seaside resort town.

A shootout in the western state of Jalisco on Sunday left drug lord Ruben ‘Nemesio’ Oseguera, commonly known as ‘El Mencho,’ 59, mortally wounded, Mexico’s defense ministry confirmed.

The notorious drug boss was the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) – one of Mexico‘s most powerful drug-running organizations which has been accused of trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl to the US.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott intensifies border security

The office of Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has ordered the state’s Department of Public Safety to beef up security along the US-Mexican border in order to prevent ‘spillover activity’ from the violent clashes between authorities and cartels in Mexico.

Abbott ordered the Texas Highway Patrol, the Texas Rangers and the Criminal Investigations Division to monitor the border as unrest continues.

In a separate post on X on Monday, the governor ordered Texans to follow the US Department of State’s guidance amid ‘ongoing security operations, related road blockages and criminal activity across Mexico.’

Areas of concern in Mexico in the latest US security report

Jalisco State, including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala and Guadalajara
Baja California State, including Tijuana, Tecate and Ensenada
Quintana Roo State, including Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and Tulum
Nayarit State, including the Nuevo Nayarit/Nuevo Vallarta area near Puerta Vallarta
Sinaloa, including Mazatlán
Parts of Colima, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Estado de Mexico, Michoacan, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Zacatecas States

Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says no foreigners have been harmed by gang violence

Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday afternoon that no foreigner had been harmed or killed during Sunday’s military raid where forced captured and shot Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes.

‘Peace and security have been restored in the regions affected by yesterday’s operation in the state of Jalisco,’ the ministry said.

American search and rescue organizations contacted as loved ones are trapped in Mexico

The United Cajun Navy, a Louisiana-based nonprofit search and rescue group, said in a social media post that it had been contacted about helping recover ‘stranded’ American citizens in Puerto Vallarta.

‘We have been contacted by many people with loved ones currently trapped in Mexico,’ the organization said.

‘While extractions from disaster theaters are typically within our capabilities, extractions from hostile foreign theaters are typically not.’

Mexican officials confirm DNA testing for ‘El Mencho’

Mexican officials reported that the DNA testing on Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes confirmed his identity.

Forensic teams have been sent to Tapalpa, where the military raid took place, to identify other cartel members that were killed in showdown.

Vicki Gunvalson asks for prayers for her second home Puerto Vallarta amid violent cartel retaliation

The Real Housewives of Orange County OG Vicki Gunvalson asked for prayers for her second home, Puerto Vallarta, on Sunday amid violent Mexican cartel retaliation.

‘Hi everyone! I’m safe and not in Puerto Vallarta,’ the Chicago-born 63-year-old – who boasts 2.4 million social media followers – wrote via Instastory.

‘Thank you so much for all the messages and concern. It truly means a lot. Please join me in keeping everyone affected in your prayers. Sending love and heartfelt thoughts to all who need them right now.’

WATCH: Vehicles set ablaze in Puerto Vallarta during ongoing cartel violence

Terrifying moment footballers run from the pitch for safety in Mexico as they hear ‘explosions’ while violence erupts across the country after drug lord was killed months before the World Cup

American and Canadian tourists beg airlines to get them home amid Puerto Vallarta chaos

North American tourists took to social media to plead with airlines to reschedule canceled flights for them as cartel unrest spreads across Mexico.

Passenger Chris Black begged Air Canada to ‘add flights’ this week after he became stranded in the Mexican beach town.

Due to ‘ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity,’ US citizens in a number of locations in Mexico have been urged to ‘shelter in place,’ according to the US Embassy in Mexico.