In Puerto Vallarta, a picturesque city on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, tourists found themselves confined to their resorts on Sunday following a government alert regarding potential “clashes” stemming from a federal operation.
Images and videos obtained by Fox News Digital depicted thick, dark smoke rising over the city’s skyline, located in the Jalisco state.
Guests at a local resort informed Fox News Digital that they were advised to remain within the resort’s premises, though specific reasons for this precaution were not immediately provided.
Subsequently, the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning on Sunday afternoon for several regions in Mexico, advising Americans to remain sheltered in place. This warning was due to “ongoing security operations, road blockages, and related criminal activity.”
On February 22, 2026, smoke was visibly rising over Puerto Vallarta in Mexico’s Jalisco state, as captured in footage shared with Fox News Digital.
The travel advisory encompassed various parts of Jalisco, including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara. Other areas affected by the warning included Tamaulipas state, with cities such as Reynosa, and regions within Michoacan, Guerrero, and Nuevo Leon states.
Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus Navarro announced in a post on X that federal forces carried out an “operation” in the town of Tapalpa earlier Sunday, which led to “clashes” in the area.
“Also as a result of said operation, in various points of that region and in other parts of Jalisco, individuals have burned and blocked vehicles with the aim of hindering the actions of the authorities,” Navarro wrote in the post in Spanish.
In multiple posts, Navarro wrote that “the violent incidents have spread” and “blockades have shifted” as the government and law enforcement work to safeguard citizens.
Navarro added that the government has enacted a “Code Red” to keep the public safe.
Tourists said they were told not to leave their resort in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
“We reiterate the recommendation to avoid leaving your homes,” Navarro wrote in a second post. “The clashes are occurring in several federal entities.”
While government officials did not immediately provide details about the federal operation, local news outlets report that the operation may have involved the Jalisco New Generation cartel and one of its notorious leaders, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes.
