Music and Immigration Politics

by Yajaira Jacobo

Should Mexican artists get their visas taken away for the songs they perform and the lyrics they use? Do y’all think they have anything to do with the cartel?

Many Mexican artists are getting their visas taken away for their songs and the lyrics they use that are apparently connected to the cartel, in a genre called narcocorrido.

Do you or others think that these songs are based on real life events that have occurred in the past that were not given as much attention as they deserved, or are they just songs nothing related to the cartel?

Interviewing people about their opinions on narcocorrido

Person 1 states that it's a cultural thing and that it’s a form of telling a real life story through a song and shouldn't be having their visas revoked. 

Person 2 states, "it's really just music but in a way can definitely be related to the cartel or why else would artists like Peso Pluma, JOP, Natanael Cano [have been] been threatened to get killed if they stepped into Tijuana? But there is also other artists that don't have anything to do with the cartel."

Person 3 states that narco corrido could be connected to the cartel "but haven't been proof if they are or aren't and yea they do sing songs about drugs but not related to cartels, also Chalino Sanchez he got murdered after receiving a note during one of his performances and was shot many say that he was connected to drug trades."

The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, has expressed her intention to ban narcocorridos, which she believes glorifies drugs, violence, and crime. She plans to issue tickets and remove performers from the stage if they promote these themes. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has suggested revoking the visas of artists who perform such songs in the U.S. The controversy arises from the selective focus on Mexican artists, especially given that similar themes like violence, drugs, and crime are often present in other genres, such as rap music, which isn't being targeted in the same way. Some argue that this disproportionate focus on Mexican artists might be rooted in political motivations, with critics pointing out that former President Donald Trump, known for his negative stance toward Mexicans, could have contributed to this approach. I also think that what was done to so many artists wasn't fair and they deserve their visas back because the US don’t take US citizens' citizenship away for rapping about the same thing.

Los Alegres del Barranco were the first ones to get their visas revoked and the reason was because they used a picture of El Chapo and many found it disrespectful, but they addressed the situation saying that it was just because the song in a way relates to the story of El Chapo.

In my opinion I would say that this is unfair to these artist including others

as Grupo Firme, Julion Alvarez, Oscar Maydon because this is their way of them earning money by performing their music and as well as they have they right to talk about what they want in their songs, because why aren't other artists that have similar lyrics in the US don’t get their citizenship taken away when it's the same thing just in a different language.