In-depth daily coverage of armed conflicts, cartel violence, political instability, and security developments across North, Central, and South America.
On Sunday, February 22, the Mexican military killed CJNG founder Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes ("El Mencho") during a military operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco, triggering coordinated retaliatory violence across at least ten Mexican states. The U.S. and Canadian governments issued shelter-in-place orders for citizens across multiple states, and Puerto Vallarta's airport suspended international flights. The DHS shutdown entered its eighth day, with DHS initially announcing and then reversing a suspension of TSA PreCheck while Global Entry remained suspended. A major nor'easter struck the U.S. Northeast, prompting emergency declarations in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts while FEMA operated at reduced capacity. Colombia's ELN announced a new armed strike set to begin February 23 across five departments. Cuba's Canaleta prison riot aftermath continued with reports of ongoing reprisals against inmates. Guatemala maintained Plan Sentinel military-police sweeps under its state of prevention. Oman confirmed that U.S.-Iran nuclear talks would resume February 26 in Geneva.
On February 22, the Mexican Army killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," the founding leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, during a military operation in the mountain town of Tapalpa, Jalisco, approximately two hours southwest of Guadalajara. The operation involved Army units, the National Guard, the Mexican Air Force, and intelligence personnel from the Attorney General's Office. The United States provided what a defense official described as "complementary intelligence." Security forces encountered armed resistance. Seven CJNG members, including El Mencho, were killed. Three Mexican military personnel were wounded. Two cartel suspects were arrested. Seized materials included armored vehicles, rocket launchers, and tactical equipment.
The killing triggered immediate retaliatory violence across at least ten Mexican states: Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Nayarit, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Baja California, Quintana Roo, Guerrero, and Nuevo León. CJNG operatives torched vehicles and buses to block highways, set fire to a Costco and a gas station in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, engaged in shootouts with security forces, and carried out killings near Puerto Vallarta's airport. Guadalajara effectively shut down as civilians sheltered indoors. Mexican authorities curtailed operations on toll roads in at least nine additional states. In Zapopan (metro Guadalajara), six National Guard members were killed. A jail guard was killed during a prisoner riot in Puerto Vallarta. One agent from the Jalisco state prosecutor's office was also killed.
The U.S. State Department issued at least three escalating security alerts on February 22, ultimately ordering American citizens to shelter in place across Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Guerrero, Nuevo León, Baja California (Tijuana, Tecate, Ensenada), Quintana Roo (Cancún, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Tulum), Guanajuato, and Oaxaca. All U.S. government staff at Consulate General Tijuana were ordered to shelter in place. Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand issued a separate advisory, and the Canadian government ordered its nationals in Puerto Vallarta to shelter in place. Puerto Vallarta International Airport cancelled all international and most domestic flights. Airlines that suspended or diverted service included Air Canada, WestJet (7 flights diverted, 24 cancelled), Southwest, Alaska, United, Delta, Porter, and American.
The CJNG had grown since its founding around 2009 into one of Mexico's two most powerful cartels, with a presence in all 50 U.S. states according to the DEA. In February 2025, the Trump administration designated CJNG a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The U.S. government had placed a $15 million bounty on El Mencho. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged the operation and called for calm. No obvious successor exists within CJNG: El Mencho's brother, son ("El Menchito"), and daughter are all imprisoned. Guadalajara is a 2026 FIFA World Cup host city.
On February 22, eight days into a partial government shutdown that began February 14 over an immigration enforcement funding impasse, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem initially announced the suspension of TSA PreCheck, affecting over 20 million enrolled travelers. The decision was reversed within hours after travel industry backlash. TSA stated PreCheck "remains operational with no change for the traveling public." The suspension of CBP Global Entry, affecting 12 million or more members, remained in effect, confirmed at airports including Boston Logan, Austin-Bergstrom, and Vancouver International Airport. CISA remained at approximately 38% capacity with 1,453 of 2,341 employees furloughed. FEMA entered emergency operating status, halting all non-disaster-related response.
The timing intersected with a major nor'easter classified as a bomb cyclone that began impacting the U.S. Northeast on February 22. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared a state of emergency and banned non-essential vehicles overnight. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey all declared statewide emergencies. Philadelphia activated a Code Blue from February 22 through 25. The National Weather Service issued the first blizzard warning for New York City since 2017, with 18 to 24 inches of snow forecast. Over 5,000 flights were cancelled for Monday. TSA screeners, Coast Guard personnel, and FEMA staff were working without pay.
The U.S. Embassy in Bogotá issued a security alert on February 22 warning that the ELN had announced a paro armado (armed strike) from February 23 through February 26, primarily targeting Antioquia, Arauca, Cesar, Norte de Santander, and Valle del Cauca, with the transport sector and public security forces as primary targets. The ELN's broader offensive had been intensifying for weeks. In Chocó department on the Pacific coast, the ELN had imposed a 72-hour armed strike beginning February 18 in the San Juan area, confining tens of thousands of residents. In Arauca department along the Venezuelan border, the ELN attacked a police station in Saravena with explosives and briefly kidnapped four soldiers (released February 21).
On February 20, five separate explosive attacks struck Cúcuta in Norte de Santander, including a car bomb on a toll booth near a police station in Villa del Rosario. In one attack, more than 20 gunmen physically seized a police station before destroying it with explosives. These were attributed to the ELN. This activity occurred within the broader collapse of Colombia's "Total Peace" process. Peace talks with the ELN had broken down. The state of internal commotion declared during the January Catatumbo crisis remained in effect. On February 3-4, Presidents Petro and Trump met at the White House and agreed to joint operations targeting three designated targets. March legislative elections and May presidential elections approached amid what reporting described as the most violent campaign period in decades.
Oman's foreign minister Badr al-Busaidi confirmed on February 22 that the next round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks would take place Thursday, February 26, in Geneva. Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi stated he expected to meet U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and said a "good chance" remained for a diplomatic resolution. This announcement came against the backdrop of President Trump stating on February 20 that he was "considering" limited military strikes on Iran and giving Tehran a 10-to-15-day deadline to reach a deal. The United States had assembled what reporting described as its largest military buildup in the Middle East since 2003: two aircraft carriers (USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea area and USS Gerald R. Ford entering the Mediterranean), more than 200 warplanes, and dozens of warships. No kinetic military action against Iran occurred on February 22.
On February 22, CiberCuba reported that the organization RepresoresCubanos.com added Major Noel Morales López, head of the Canaleta provincial high-security prison in Ciego de Ávila, to its database of alleged human rights violators. The prison had erupted in a violent riot beginning around 2:00 AM on February 18, triggered when a young prisoner who requested food was beaten and later found hanged in his cell under suspicious circumstances. Inmates chanted "Freedom," "Homeland and Life," and "Down with Díaz-Canel." Both political prisoners and common inmates participated. Anti-riot police known as "Black Wasps" deployed rubber bullets, pepper spray, and physical force.
Prisoners Defenders, a Madrid-based organization, estimated that at least 10 inmates may have been killed by anti-riot forces, though this figure remained unverified. Named deceased included Walfrido Archival, "Pilita," and Eduardo Rodríguez Ulloa. Approximately 30 inmates were reported injured. Cuba's Ministry of the Interior acknowledged an "incident" on February 20 but made no mention of deaths or injuries. As of February 22, prison visits remained suspended, inmates were being transferred to other provinces, and families were blocked from approaching the facility. Canaleta holds over 3,000 inmates amid Cuba's severe economic crisis.
Guatemala was in the fifth day of Plan Sentinel (Plan Centinela), a joint military-police operation launched February 17 under a 15-day State of Prevention. Heavily armed troops with armored personnel carriers were deployed across Guatemala City, particularly in northern neighborhoods controlled by Barrio 18 and MS-13. President Bernardo Arévalo reported that the preceding state of siege delivered a 50% drop in homicides and a 33% fall in extortion. In Haiti, armed gangs continued to control an estimated 90% of Port-au-Prince. The Transitional Presidential Council's mandate expired February 7, and the UN Gang Suppression Force was in transition, with first military contingents expected in April. No discrete security event was confirmed for February 22.
No new Operation Southern Spear strike was confirmed for February 22. The most recent strike occurred on February 20 (the 43rd), killing three individuals in the Eastern Pacific and bringing cumulative fatalities since September 2025 to approximately 148. Venezuela's amnesty law implementation continued with approximately 448 political prisoners released since January 8, and an estimated 600 or more remaining in custody. El Salvador's state of exception, renewed for the 47th consecutive month, continued with over 80,000 detained. No discrete incident was reported in either country on February 22.