Mexico in chaos travel update cruise news
February 23, 2026
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Update on the events in Mexico
The U.S. State Department has extended shelter-in-place orders to larger areas of Mexico.
Yesterday morning, a Mexican raid, with the help of U.S. intelligence, reportedly resulted in cartel leader El Mencho being KIA . As a result, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel began burning cars, blocking roads, and conducting raids of their own.
Flights have been diverted from the state of Jalisco, with disruptions expanding to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Veracruz, and beyond.
A fire occurred at or near the cruise port in Puerto Vallarta, causing it to shut down and forcing cruise ships to be redirected. I have confirmed that Princess cancels their stop there for Wednesday and others are doing the same.
A fire was also reported in Cozumel, though that one appears to be isolated. And not change or itinerary there.
The U.S. State Department has expanded shelter-in-place orders to the following areas:
Jalisco (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara), Baja California (including Tijuana, Tecate, and Ensenada), Quintana Roo (including Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum), Nayarit (including Nuevo Nayarit / Nuevo Vallarta near Puerto Vallarta), Sinaloa (including Mazatlán), and parts of Colima, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Estado de México, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and Zacatecas.
With that said, continue to follow updates from local authorities and the State Department.
Even with shelter-in-place orders in effect, some evacuations are being evaluated.
One things I keep seeing people say is plays de carmen, Cancun and Cozumel is thousands of miles away. From the puerto vellarta. But looking at this report maps from the first few hours of yesterdays (thank you the enforcer and overlay with the cartel control map you can see in red the cartel control both areas. Current ships are still visiting costa Maya and Cozumel.
I have many clients traveling over the next fews weeks to the I will keep them and you updated. Stay safe.