WERE SKIING ON OUR WEBSITE KCRA.COM. RIGHT NOW WE’RE FOLLOWING DEVELOPING NEWS IN MEXICO AFTER THE MEXICAN MILITARY KILLED A DRUG LORD KNOWN AS EL MENCHO. HE WAS THE NOTORIOUS LEADER OF ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THAT COUNTRY. AUTHORITIES SAY MORE THAN 70 PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN AN EFFORT TO CAPTURE HIM. AND NOW THE ENSUING AFTERMATH. HE DIED YESTERDAY AFTER A SHOOTOUT WITH THE MEXICAN MILITARY ORGANIZATION RESPONDED TO HIS DEATH WITH WIDESPREAD VIOLENCE. THEY SET UP HUNDREDS OF ROADBLOCKS AND SET VEHICLES ON FIRE. SEVERAL MEXICAN STATES CANCELED SCHOOL TODAY, WHILE LOCAL AND FOREIGN OFFICIALS ARE WARNING THEIR CITIZENS TO SHELTER IN PLACE. AND THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE IS ALSO URGING AMERICAN CITIZENS IN MEXICO TO SHELTER IN PLACE. THE SITUATION IS IMPACTING FLIGHTS GOING IN AND OUT OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF MEXICO, INCLUDING SOME FROM THE SACRAMENTO REGION AND KCRA 3’S MARICELA DE LA CRUZ HEARD FROM SOME HAVING A TOUGH TIME GETTING HOME. MARICELA WHAT’S THEIR STATUS? YEAH. CURTIS. LISA. WELL, IT’S STILL UNKNOWN WHEN SOME OF THOSE LOCAL TRAVELERS ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT BACK HOME. BUT I SPOKE TO ONE ROCKLIN WOMAN. SHE TOLD ME SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO FLY OUT OF PUERTO VALLARTA THIS AFTERNOON, BUT AT THIS TIME, SHE STILL HASN’T BEEN REBOOKED. HOWEVER, THE BIGGEST CONCERN FOR HER AND HER FAMILY IS THAT THERE’S NO FOOD LEFT AT THE AIRBNB WHERE THEY’RE STAYING AT. SHE ACTUALLY SHARED SOME VIDEO OF WHAT SHE AND HER FAMILY SAW YESTERDAY MORNING, JUST RIGHT OUTSIDE THEIR CONDO. THICK BLACK SMOKE RISING INTO THE SKY. THIS ALL UNFOLDED AFTER A MEXICAN MILITARY OPERATION THAT ENDED WITH THE KILLING OF CARTEL KINGPIN AND HEAD OF THE CARTEL, JALISCO NUEVA GENERACION, NEMESIO OSEGUERA CERVANTES, ALIAS EL MENCHO. THAT SPARKED A WAVE OF VIOLENCE IMPACTING MEXICAN RESIDENTS AS WELL AS TOURISTS. WE SPOKE WITH THREE PEOPLE FROM THE SACRAMENTO AREA WHO ARE NOW TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHEN THEY’LL MAKE IT BACK HOME. ALL OF A SUDDEN, WE’RE NOT WE’RE NOT ABLE TO GET FOOD. THE RESTAURANT AND OUR CONDO CLOSES AND WE’RE STARTING TO REALIZE WHAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING. AS TIME GOES ON THROUGHOUT THE DAY. AND THE AIRLINE FOR US, AS OF LAST NIGHT AT AROUND 5 P.M., SAID THAT IT WAS STILL GOING ON. LIKE OUR FLIGHT WAS STILL GOING BACK HOME. BUT I GET A NOTIFICATION AROUND 11 P.M. LAST NIGHT SAYING THAT OUR FLIGHT WAS CANCELED. SO WE WERE SUPPOSED TO FLY OUT TODAY AT ABOUT 230. AND THAT’S NOT HAPPENING. I DON’T KNOW WHEN IT’S HAPPENING. NOW, WE ALSO HEARD FROM TWO MEN WHO ARE FROM THE SACRAMENTO REGION. THEY WERE ACTUALLY ON THEIR WAY TO GUADALAJARA, JALISCO, BUT THEIR FLIGHT NEVER DEPARTED FROM MEXICO CITY. SO AT THIS TIME, THEY DON’T KNOW WHEN THEY’LL BE ABLE TO MAKE IT BACK HOME. THEY’RE TRYING TO FIND THEIR WAY BACK HOME FROM MEXICO CITY, HOPING THEY FIND A FLIGHT TO LA AND THEN TO SACRAMENTO. OF COURSE, WE’LL HEAR FROM THEM COMING UP AT 6:00. FOR NOW, WE’RE LIVE. MARICELA DE LA CRUZ KCRA THREE NEWS. WELL, IT SEEMS IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE AIRLINES. WHAT ARE THEY SAYING ABOUT FLIGHTS OUT OF MEXICO? YEAH, I REACHED OUT TO A FEW OF THE AIRLINES. I KNOW THAT DELTA AIRLINES TOLD ME THAT THEY CANCELED A FEW OF THEIR FLIGHTS TODAY AS FAR AS SOUTHWEST AIRLINES, WHICH IS THE ONE THAT VICTORIA AND HER FAMILY FLEW WITH. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY CANCELED ALL OF THEIR FLIGHTS IN THE PUERTO VALLARTA REGION TODAY. SO WE’LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND IF THEY’LL BE ABLE TO BOOK THROUGH SOUTHWEST AIRLINES, OR THEY’LL JUST HAVE
Sacramento travelers among those stranded in Mexico amid wave of violence
Updated: 4:52 PM PST Feb 23, 2026
American travelers in Mexico, including those from the Sacramento region, are facing uncertainty after flights were canceled following unrest since the killing of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.”The U.S. Department of State is urging American citizens in Mexico to take shelter as the situation impacts flights across different parts of the country. A Rocklin woman who was supposed to return on Monday, Victoria Claude, said her flight still hasn’t been rebooked. She shared her concerns about the lack of food at the Airbnb where she and her family are staying.She shared a video from Sunday morning showing thick black smoke rising outside their condo, following the Mexican military operation that resulted in the killing of the cartel kingpin. This incident has sparked violence affecting both Mexican residents and tourists.KCRA 3 has spoken with three people from the Sacramento area who trying to determine when they can return home. “All of a sudden, we’re not able to get food,” Claude said. “The restaurant at our condo closes, and we’re starting to realize what’s actually happening. … The airline for us as of 5 p.m. said that it was still going on, like our flight was still going back home, but I get a notification around 11 p.m. last night saying that our flight was canceled, so we were supposed to fly out today at about 2:30 and that’s not happening. I don’t know when it’s happening.”Two other men, who were headed to Guadalajara to visit family, told KCRA 3 their flight never departed from Mexico, and they are scrambling to find another way back to Sacramento.Delta Airlines confirmed they canceled a few flights, while Southwest Airlines, which Claude and her family are flying with, canceled all operations to Puerto Vallarta on Monday. The situation remains uncertain as travelers await further updates.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
American travelers in Mexico, including those from the Sacramento region, are facing uncertainty after flights were canceled following unrest since the killing of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.”
The U.S. Department of State is urging American citizens in Mexico to take shelter as the situation impacts flights across different parts of the country.
A Rocklin woman who was supposed to return on Monday, Victoria Claude, said her flight still hasn’t been rebooked. She shared her concerns about the lack of food at the Airbnb where she and her family are staying.
She shared a video from Sunday morning showing thick black smoke rising outside their condo, following the Mexican military operation that resulted in the killing of the cartel kingpin.
This incident has sparked violence affecting both Mexican residents and tourists.
KCRA 3 has spoken with three people from the Sacramento area who trying to determine when they can return home.
“All of a sudden, we’re not able to get food,” Claude said. “The restaurant at our condo closes, and we’re starting to realize what’s actually happening. … The airline for us as of 5 p.m. said that it was still going on, like our flight was still going back home, but I get a notification around 11 p.m. last night saying that our flight was canceled, so we were supposed to fly out today at about 2:30 and that’s not happening. I don’t know when it’s happening.”
Two other men, who were headed to Guadalajara to visit family, told KCRA 3 their flight never departed from Mexico, and they are scrambling to find another way back to Sacramento.
Delta Airlines confirmed they canceled a few flights, while Southwest Airlines, which Claude and her family are flying with, canceled all operations to Puerto Vallarta on Monday. The situation remains uncertain as travelers await further updates.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel