The Trump administration is keeping up the pressure on the Mexican government after assisting in the operation that killed a major drug cartel kingpin over the weekend.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the Trump administration is “pushing” Mexico to take stronger action to curb the flow of illicit drugs into the United States.
“We are coordinating and cooperating and pushing the Mexican government to do more to end the scourge of deadly drugs coming through our United States Southern border, which of course is now secure thanks to President Trump as well,” Leavitt said during a Fox News appearance.
.@PressSec: “We encourage all Americans in Mexico to of course adhere to the guidance provided by the @StateDept… and the Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American or they will pay severe consequences under this @POTUS.” pic.twitter.com/gwbUaD5oi9
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 24, 2026
Leavitt said the Sunday strike that took out longtime Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes during an operation in the southwestern town of Tapalpa, Jalisco, “would not have happened without the leadership of President Trump.”
“He has made it a day one priority to target and go after these vicious drug cartels that have shipped deadly poison to our country for far too long,” Leavitt said, citing President Donald Trump’s decision to designate some of Mexico’s most notorious cartels as terrorist organizations and the administration’s dozens of military strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Following Sunday’s operation, cartel members set buses and cars ablaze and erected roadblocks in some of the most popular vacation spots frequented by American tourists.
The State Department urged American citizens to “shelter in place” if they are in the Mexican state of Jalisco — including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara — as well as in Tamaulipas, which borders Texas, parts of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Nuevo León.
American and Canadian airlines quickly canceled flights out of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, leaving tourists stranded.
American tourist Jim Beck, who said he has been going to Puerto Vallarta “for almost twenty years,” told CNN that it’s the first time he’s been “actually terrified” while visiting the area.
“We saw people running down the streets, running from the flames and stuff and the fire. And we ran back to the hotel and then that’s when they got the shelter in order place and we’ve been here all day,” Beck said.
“It’s been pretty scary … all the locals being locked up and hidden with us too, there’s a few homeless people that were brought into this hotel … so that they had some place to go too. It’s been quite surreal knowing this warm, wonderful place that we come to visit a couple times a year is in lockdown and just terrifying for all the people,” he said.
Leavitt said the Trump administration is “unaware of any reports of any Americans being hurt, kidnapped, or killed,” adding, “The Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American or they will pay severe consequences under this president.”
The State Department has also set up “24/7 phone lines” to help Americans who are stranded in Mexico, Leavitt said.
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