A person walks near a burned out bus on the boardwalk in the tourist area of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, as shown in this image provided by Canadian Marc Edge.Marc Edge/The Canadian Press
After a wave of violence erupted in Mexico’s Jalisco State on Sunday following the killing of a cartel leader, the Canadian government is advising travellers to exercise a high degree of caution in Mexico and avoid travel to certain parts of the country.
Many airlines, which cancelled flights earlier this week, have re-started normal operations in the region, but thousands of Canadians still remain in Mexico.
What is happening in Mexico, and what travel advisories and airline cancellations are in place? Here’s what you need to know.
What happened in Mexico?
The Mexican army killed the most powerful cartel leader in the country and one of the United States’ most wanted fugitives on Sunday.
The Associated Press
The unrest unfolded after it was reported Mexico’s army had killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, who is known as “El Mencho.” Mr. Cervantes, considered Mexico’s most wanted man, was 59 years old and originally from the western state of Michoacan. His ties to organized crime went back at least three decades.
His death was part of a crackdown on cartels by the Mexican government. Following Mr. Cervantes’s death, security forces were placed on alert throughout the country as gunmen unleashed violence. Cars torched by cartel members blocked roads in 20 Mexican states. People locked themselves in their homes in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city and Jalisco’s capital, and school was cancelled Monday in several states.
Mexican military kills ‘El Mencho’
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, or ‘El Mencho,’ was mastermind of
the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) – one of Mexico’s most
powerful drug cartels
CJNG significant presence
CJNG presence
Tijuana
Ciudad Juárez
Monterrey
BAJA
CALIF.
NUEVO
LEÓN
400km
TAMAULIPAS
Guadalajara
Mexico
City
Puerto Vallarta
Feb: 22, Tapalpa,
Jalisco state: Oseguera
Cervantes is wounded
in a clash with soldiers
and dies while being flown
to Mexico City.
QUIN-
TANA
ROO
MICHOACÁN
Acapulco
GUERRERO
graphic news, Sources: BBC; DEA; Reuters
Mexican military kills ‘El Mencho’
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, or ‘El Mencho,’ was mastermind of
the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) – one of Mexico’s most
powerful drug cartels
CJNG significant presence
CJNG presence
Tijuana
Ciudad Juárez
Monterrey
BAJA
CALIF.
NUEVO
LEÓN
400km
TAMAULIPAS
Guadalajara
Mexico
City
Puerto Vallarta
Feb: 22, Tapalpa,
Jalisco state: Oseguera
Cervantes is wounded
in a clash with soldiers
and dies while being flown
to Mexico City.
QUIN-
TANA
ROO
MICHOACÁN
Acapulco
GUERRERO
graphic news, Sources: BBC; DEA; Reuters
Mexican military kills ‘El Mencho’
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, or ‘El Mencho,’ was mastermind of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel
(CJNG) – one of Mexico’s most powerful drug cartels
CJNG significant presence
CJNG presence
Tijuana
Ciudad Juárez
Monterrey
BAJA
CALIF.
NUEVO
LEÓN
400km
TAMAULIPAS
Guadalajara
Mexico
City
Puerto Vallarta
Feb: 22, Tapalpa,
Jalisco state: Oseguera
Cervantes is wounded
in a clash with soldiers
and dies while being flown
to Mexico City.
QUIN-
TANA
ROO
MICHOACÁN
Acapulco
GUERRERO
graphic news, Sources: BBC; DEA; Reuters
On Monday, Mexico Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said 25 members of the National Guard were killed in Jalisco in six separate attacks after the killing of the cartel leader. He said at least 73 people were dead in Jalisco and the neighbouring state of Michoacán, according to a body count taken by security officials. The figure includes security forces, suspected cartel members and others.
What travel advisories have been issued?
Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand speaks at a news conference regarding the security situation in Mexico, in Ottawa on Monday.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Canada issued an updated travel advisory on Sunday, saying Canadians should “exercise a high degree of caution in Mexico due to high levels of criminal activity and kidnapping.” The federal government warned Canadians in Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist destination in Jalisco State, to shelter in place amid the escalating violence. A shelter-in-place order is also in effect in the neighbouring Nayarit State.
Global Affairs Canada said criminal groups had set up roadblocks using burning vehicles in areas of southwestern Mexico, including the states of Michoacán and Guerrero, and warned of shootouts with security forces and explosions along roads and highways in those areas.
According to the travel advisory, security incidents have taken place in the following states: Jalisco (including Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta), Guerrero (including Acapulco), Michoacán, Sinaloa (including Mazatlán), Quintana Roo (including Cancun), Baja California (including Tijuana and Tecate) and Nayarit.
“The security situation could deteriorate rapidly in these locations and in others across Mexico,” the travel advisory said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said 26,305 Canadians have registered their location with Global Affairs, but Canada is not currently considering the option of sending flights to evacuate Canadians from Mexico. Ms. Anand provided an update Monday morning in a Parliament Hill news conference, saying Mexican Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente told her the Mexican government hopes the conflict is going to subside soon.
Have flights been cancelled?
People arrive at Puerto Vallarta International Airport on Monday, a day after a series of blockades and attacks by a major drug cartel.Daniel Becerril/Reuters
Air Canada said Monday evening that it would resume full operations from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver to Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday, and service to Guadalajara on Wednesday.
“We will advise any customers in Mexico who were on flights from Sunday and Monday of their new itinerary,” the airline said in a post on X. “Customers should only proceed to Puerto Vallarta Airport if they have confirmation of their new flights.”
WestJet said it will also resume operations to and from Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Manzanillo on Tuesday.
“WestJet flights to Mexico will operate as scheduled to all destinations, with the safety of our guests and partners remaining our top priority,” the airline said on its website.
On Monday, WestJet said that it has diverted seven flights en route to Puerto Vallarta and cancelled 37 flights to and from the city, as well as nearby Guadalajara and Manzanillo, and was arranging extended stays for customers in affected regions.
Air Transat said it will also resume normal service to and from Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday, and operations in other parts of Mexico “are running normally.”
Meanwhile, in a social media post on X, Porter Airlines said it would restart flights to Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday, but service may operate with modified schedules.
“Passengers should verify flight times before travelling to the airport,” the airline said.
I’m a Canadian currently in Mexico. What should I do?
For Canadians who are currently in Mexico, Global Affairs Canada advises tourists to avoid the affected regions, limit movements throughout the area and follow the advice of local authorities, including curfews and shelter-in-place orders.
“Before making your way to the airport, check with your airline to determine if there are delays or changes in flight schedules,” the federal government’s travel advisory warns.
Canadians have been encouraged to register their locations in Mexico so they can receive timely updates about the situation, but some travellers reported encountering difficulty on Sunday when they tried to enter their information online. The service allows government officials to contact you with important information or travel advice for the country in which you registered.
@globeandmail Canada’s foreign affairs minister said she is monitoring what she called a “serious and rapidly evolving” security situation in various regions of Mexico. Anita Anand said Monday she's ruling out the deployment of aircraft to help evacuate Canadians from Mexico during a wave of violence connected to the death of a cartel leader. Instead, the government is urging Canadians to register with Global Affairs Canada, heed local safety guidance and only travel when it is safe to do so. Canadians who register can receive travel advice and timely updates about the situation, she said. As of 7 a.m. ET Monday, Ms. Anand said that 26,305 Canadians in Mexico have registered with Global Affairs, up from about 8,000 at the same time Sunday. Ms. Anand acknowledged that figure reflects only a fraction of the total number of Canadians in Mexico. #CdnPoli #Mexico #Canada ♬ original sound - The Globe and Mail
Canadians abroad can also contact the Emergency Watch and Response Centre, which provides 24/7 emergency consular assistance. Ms. Anand said the centre has received 440 calls in the last 24 hours from Canadians seeking information about flights and travel advisories, and additional staff being added to handle increased calls.
I’m a Canadian with travel plans to Mexico soon. What should I do?
The federal government is urging Canadians to only travel to Mexico when it is safe to do so.
Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned against vacationing in Mexico and said Ontarians there should come home. He also said those considering vacations should look at other destinations and that his government would help if needed to get Ontarians in the country out.
“I highly recommend, don’t go to Mexico. I highly recommended that before this happened,” Mr. Ford said at Queen’s Park. “It’s, my opinion, it’s not a stable country, right now. Don’t go there, and maybe pick an island somewhere or here in Canada.”
As for Canadians who have flights booked to the affected Mexican regions within the next few days, some airlines are offering flexible changes while events remain unstable.
Air Canada is offering a flexible re-booking policy until Feb. 28 for passengers with “imminent travel” to the affected areas.
WestJet said its change policy remains in effect for guests travelling to Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Manzanillo until February 27.
Passengers scheduled for an Air Transat flight to Puerto Vallarta on Feb. 24 or 25 are able to change their reservation without penalty or cancel their trip and receive a travel credit valid for 12 months from the original return date.
Meanwhile, Porter Airlines and Flair Airlines are offering similar flight changes until Feb. 25.
With reports from Kristy Kirkup, Tavia Grant, Ian Bailey, Jeff Gray, Temur Durrani, Maura Forrest and The Associated Press.