Chaos in western Mexico is disrupting travel plans for thousands of Americans as airlines cancel flights and the U.S. State Department urges citizens already in the region to shelter in place.

Violence erupted after the Mexican Army killed Nemesio “El Mencho” Cervantes, the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The fallout has been severe, with buses and vehicles torched, roads blocked, and gunfire reported across Jalisco and multiple neighboring states — including in the major tourist hub of Puerto Vallarta.

The killing of the most-wanted cartel boss in Mexico brings violence and a warning to Americans traveling in the western part of the country. NBC 5’s Alanna Quillen tells us more.

Officials said the chaos is a common tactic used by cartels to block military operations from advancing.

In a notice posted online, the U.S. State Department issued a shelter‑in‑place advisory for Americans in parts of Jalisco and neighboring states. Travelers are urged to stay inside hotels or residences and avoid the streets until further notice.

Mexico: Update – Due to ongoing security operations & related road blockages & criminal activity, U.S. citizens in a number of locations in Mexico are urged to shelter in place, as U.S. government staff in several locations are doing and will continue to do on Feb 23. While no… pic.twitter.com/OxPzmcdFYT

— TravelGov (@TravelGov) February 23, 2026

At Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, some flights to Mexico were still scheduled to depart Friday morning, while other routes — especially to western Mexico like Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara — remained canceled. Airlines, including Dallas-based Southwest and Fort Worth-based American Airlines, have canceled flights to several cities in the region.

Some travelers planning celebratory or long‑awaited vacations are now choosing to stay home.

Caren Tunget flew to Dallas, planning to connect to Cancun for a free trip she earned through work, one that conveniently lined up with her birthday.

“We’ve been looking forward to it and because it fell around my birthday weekend, just kind of added to the festivities of it all,” she said. “I came to Dallas for a couple of days so I could spend the birthday with my sisters and brother.”

But Monday morning, Tunget made the difficult decision to cancel her trip and fly back home to California instead.

“About half of my friends who are going on this trip canceled. And so that really raised my alert, that maybe I need to look a little more serious about canceling,” she said. “We were just saying, do we go and just sit on the beach, worried if we’re going to make it home?”

Tunget said she worried about continuing with the trip and the unrest evolving into a situation where she would not be able to get out.

“It’s erring on the side of caution and safety more than anything. My heart’s broken having to make this decision, but life is unpredictable,” she said.

Not all travelers are calling off their plans. Some flights to eastern and northern parts of Mexico remain unaffected, and many passengers told NBC 5 they feel comfortable continuing their trips.

Two young women traveling to Sonora, near the Arizona border, said their plans nearly ran into trouble until a layover was changed.

“Yeah, originally it was Guadalajara, but we got another flight. And we’re lucky,” said Liceth Molina.

Even so, she admitted she’s uneasy about the headlines coming from other parts of the country.

“I am kind of nervous but hopefully it stays safe in where are we going, but I still am kind of nervous,” she said.

More flight disruptions are expected throughout the day as airlines monitor conditions on the ground.

For anyone with upcoming travel, officials recommend closely watching flight status updates and reconsidering non‑essential trips to western Mexico.