MEXICO CITY – The renowned Mexican regional music group, Grupo Firme, announced on Friday that they have canceled their upcoming performance at a Californian music festival over the weekend. This decision follows the suspension of the band’s visas by the United States government.
The U.S. State Department’s action is part of a broader effort to revoke the visas of several Mexican musicians who perform a style of music that reportedly romanticizes cartel violence.
Grupo Firme, which has gained global recognition for their Mexican regional music, explained in a statement on Instagram that both their visas and their team’s visas are now under “administrative review by the U.S. Embassy.” This situation makes it “impossible” for them to appear at the La Onda Fest in Napa Valley, California, scheduled for June 1. The statement, however, did not specify the long-term implications for the band.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said that visa cases are confidential according to U.S. law and couldn’t provide more information on the case.
The suspension is just the latest in a series of moves the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has taken targeting Mexican artists in the genre, who in some cases have glorified the leaders of cartels as sort of Robin Hood figures. While the genre of “narco-corridos” has stirred controversy, much of the music also speaks to the harsh realities facing Mexican youth caught in cartel violence.
Two months ago, the Mexican musical group Los Alegres del Barranco was sanctioned after it projected images of the leader of the feared Jalisco New Generation Cartel at a concert in the western state of Jalisco.
“I’m a firm believer in freedom of expression, but that doesn’t mean that expression should be free of consequences,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said at the time. “The last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and terrorists.”
But Grupo Firme has taken steps in recent months to distance itself from the facet of the musical genre glorifying criminal groups, announcing in April shortly after the controversy that it would not sing such music in concerts.
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