Why Trump is pushing subject assistance for Mexico
The bodies of 5 musicians, members of a Mexican determination euphony radical who had gone missing, were recovered successful the bluish metropolis of Reynosa along the Texas border, authorities said connected Thursday.
The musicians from the set Grupo Fugitivo, which played astatine parties and section dances successful the region, had been reported missing since Sunday.
Tamaulipas authorities prosecutors, who had been investigating their disappearance, said the men were kidnapped astir 10 p.m. that nighttime portion traveling successful a SUV connected the mode to a venue wherever they were hired to play. Their bodies were recovered connected the fringes of Reynosa. Prosecutors said 9 suspects believed to beryllium portion of a faction of the Gulf Cartel, which has beardown beingness successful the city, person been arrested.
Authorities were not instantly capable to accidental wherefore the men were slain, and did not contradict reports by section media that the bodies had been burned.
The conveyance belonging to Mexican philharmonic radical Grupo Fugitivo is seen extracurricular the Specialized Unit for the Investigation of Forced Disappearances, aft Mexican authorities confirmed that 5 members of the set were recovered dead, successful Reynosa, Mexico May 29, 2025.
Stringer / REUTERS
Relatives had reported receiving ransom demands for the musicians, aged betwixt 20 and 40 years old. The set was hired to enactment connected a performance but arrived to find a vacant lot, according to household members.
The genre they played – Mexican determination music, which encapsulates a wide scope of styles including corridos and cumbia – has successful caller years gained a spotlight arsenic it's entered a benignant of planetary philharmonic renaissance. Young artists sometimes wage homage to leaders of cause cartels, often portrayed arsenic Robin Hood-type figures.
It was not instantly wide if the radical played specified songs oregon if the artists were simply victims of rampant cartel unit that has eclipsed the city. But different artists person faced decease threats by cartels, portion others person had their visas stripped by the United States nether accusations by the Trump medication that they were glorifying transgression violence.
The past clip the musicians from the set Grupo Fugitivo were heard from was the nighttime they were kidnapped, erstwhile they told household members they were connected the mode to the event. After that, thing other was heard of them.
Their disappearance caused an uproar successful Tamaulipas, a authorities agelong eclipsed by cartel warfare. Their families reported the disappearances, called connected the nationalist for enactment and radical took to the streets successful protest.
On Wednesday, protesters blocked the planetary span connecting Reynosa and Pharr, Texas, aboriginal going to a section cathedral to commune and marque offerings to the disappeared.
Mexican Army members basal defender astatine the country where, according to Mexican authorities, the members of the philharmonic radical Grupo Fugitivo were recovered dead, successful Reynosa, Mexico May 29, 2025.
Stringer / REUTERS
Reynosa is simply a Mexican borderline metropolis adjacent to the United States and has been plagued by escalating unit since 2017 owed to interior disputes among groups vying for power of cause trafficking, quality smuggling and substance theft.
Musicians sometimes get caught successful cartel turf wars
Mexican musicians person antecedently been targeted by transgression groups that wage them to constitute and execute songs that glorify the exploits of their leaders.
Such performers often unrecorded successful adjacent proximity to their cause lord patrons, and tin astatine times get caught up successful pack turf battles.
"Narcocorridos" are a arguable sub-genre of euphony successful Mexico, and the songs person caught the attraction of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who precocious launched a euphony contention "for bid and against addictions," seeking to antagonistic the popularity of the euphony among young radical successful Mexico and the United States.
Several regions successful the state person banned "narcocorridos," sparking a recent riot during a performance aft a vocalist refused to execute immoderate of his astir fashionable songs.
In April, the U.S. State Department revoked the visas of members of a Mexican set aft they projected the look of a cause cartel brag onto a ample surface during a show successful the occidental authorities of Jalisco. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who was U.S. ambassador to Mexico during the archetypal Trump administration, said connected societal media that the enactment and tourism visas of members of Los Alegres del Barranco were revoked.
The contention broke retired successful precocious March erstwhile the look of Nemesio Rubén "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes layered implicit flames was projected down the band, primitively hailing from Sinaloa, during the concert.
Oseguera is the person of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which has been connected to a ranch authorities accidental was utilized to train cartel recruits and perchance dispose of bodies successful Jalisco, wherever searchers recovered quality bony fragments, heaps of covering and shoes. The U.S. authorities has offered a $15 cardinal reward for accusation starring to Oseguera's capture. In November, his son-in-law was arrested successful California after U.S. officials accidental helium faked his ain decease to "live a beingness of luxury" northbound of the border.
The Jalisco cartel is among different transgression groups successful Mexico that person been designated as overseas violent organizations by the Trump administration.
While the representation was met by applause during the concert, Jalisco prosecutors rapidly announced they were summoning the set to attest successful an probe into whether they were promoting violence, a transgression which could effect successful a punishment of up to six months successful prison
In 2018, equipped men kidnapped 2 members of the philharmonic radical "Los Norteños de Río Bravo," whose bodies were aboriginal recovered connected the national road connecting Reynosa to Río Bravo, Tamaulipas.
In 2013, 17 musicians from the radical Kombo Kolombia were executed by alleged cartel members successful the northeastern authorities of Nuevo Leon, allegedly due to the fact that of links to a rival gang.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
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