Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., on Tuesday urged spring breakers with plans to visit Mexico to cancel their trips due to violent clashes in the country sparked by the Mexican military’s killing of cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” earlier this week.
Mullin made the comments during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” saying his chiropractor was still planning to visit a popular tourist destination in Mexico.
“Anyone who’s planning on going to Mexico for spring break… I mean, my chiropractor called me yesterday and said he’s still planning on going to Cancun. I said, ‘Are you crazy?'” Mullin said.
“No one should go there right now, it’s very unstable and the United States is focused on watching what happens,” he continued.
Senator Markwayne Mullin urged spring entrepreneurs with plans to visit Mexico to cancel their trips. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The senator’s comments come next Mexican troops carried out operations on Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, targeting El Mencho, a former police officer who became the leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, which has been identified by US authorities as a major supplier of fentanyl to the United States.
El Mencho received a US bounty of $15 million and came to power after the arrest of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Over the past fifteen years, the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación has grown from a regional criminal group to a global human trafficking organization operating from its stronghold in Jalisco.
Mexico’s Defense Ministry said the operation was carried out as part of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the US, and that US authorities provided additional intelligence that contributed to El Mencho’s killing.
After El Mencho’s death, cartel members burned cars and blocked roads in several Mexican states. Violent clashes were also reported in parts of western Mexico.
Mexican authorities later said the security situation had “stabilized.”
Vehicles drive past a burning bus used as a roadblock by organized crime after a federal operation that killed Mexican drug lord El Mencho in Zapopan, Mexico, according to a government source. (Gabriel Trujillo/Reuters)
“The security situation has now stabilized following targeted operations in Jalisco,” the Mexican embassy in the US said on Tuesday.
“Federal and state authorities are working to reopen transit corridors and smoothly restore public services,” the embassy continued. “Aviation operations are normal and international airlines are resuming flights today. Puerto Vallarta International Airport has reopened to domestic traffic.”
The embassy added: “If you travel through Jalisco, some local security measures remain in place as authorities restore airport operations to full capacity. We are working with international partners to ensure safety and stability at all transit hubs and tourist destinations.”
But the U.S. State Department’s travel advisory for Mexico remains in effect. The US government previously issued a shelter-in-place order for Americans in Mexico, but that order has since been rescinded.
STATE DEPARTMENT CLOSED WITH HUNDREDS OF CALLS FROM AMERICANS LOCKED IN MEXICO
A soldier stands guard over a charred vehicle after it was set on fire in Cointzio, Michoacán state, Mexico. (AP Photo/Armando Solis)
The Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación is considered the most powerful cartel in Mexico, with an estimated 19,000 members and operations in 21 of the country’s 32 states.
The Trump administration labeled the cartel as one foreign terrorist organization.
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Mullin said Tuesday that the split of the cartels after the Mexican operation is a “great opportunity for us and Mexico to take them all out.”
“Are we going to eliminate all drug trafficking in the world now? Absolutely not. But can we get a handle on it again? Absolutely,” he added.
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