Cartel violence that erupted across Mexico left 25 Mexican National Guard troops and more than two dozen criminal suspects among the dead following the killing of Jalisco New Generation cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, officials said Monday.

Mexico Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said the troops in Jalisco were killed in six separate attacks following the killing of Oseguera Cervantes during a shootout inside his home as the Mexican military attempted to capture him. He also said some 30 criminal suspects were killed in Jalisco and four others were killed in Michoacan.

García Harfuch added that a prison guard, an agent from the state prosecutor’s office and a woman whom he did not identify were also killed.

The U.S. provided intelligence support for the Mexican operation that resulted in the death of the cartel leader, who was known as «El Mencho.»

Mexican Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla said Monday that intelligence leading to the military operation came from a romantic partner of the crime boss, Reuters reported.

A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire in Cointzio, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of «El Mencho.» (AP Photo/Armando Solis)

The cartel reacted to its leader’s death with violence across Mexico, placing roadblocks and setting vehicles on fire throughout Sunday. 

CARTELS OUTGUN POLICE: ROCKET LAUNCHERS SEIZED IN EL MENCHO RAID SPOTLIGHT CJNG FIREPOWER

President Claudia Sheinbaum urged calm Monday, and authorities said all the more than 250 cartel roadblocks across 20 states had been cleared.

The U.S. State Department said its personnel in cities across Mexico would shelter in place Monday, urging U.S. citizens in many parts of Mexico to do the same.

Oseguera Cervantes was the leader of one of the largest narco-terrorist cartels in the country.

«El Mencho» was killed during a shootout as the Mexican military attempted to capture him in an operation in Jalisco on Sunday, Feb. 22., 2026. (Drug Enforcement Administration)

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The criminal network was notorious for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States, and staging brazen attacks against government officials who challenged it.

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Los ministros de Exteriores de la Unión Europea fallaron este lunes en alcanzar la unanimidad necesaria para aprobar el vigésimo paquete de sanciones contra Rusia, debido al veto ejercido por Hungría y Eslovaquia. Esta decisión frustra el objetivo de la UE de presentar nuevas medidas restrictivas al cumplirse cuatro años de la invasión a gran escala de Ucrania. La alta representante para Asuntos Exteriores y Seguridad, Kaja Kallas, calificó el resultado como “un revés y un mensaje que no queríamos enviar hoy”, aunque subrayó que las negociaciones continúan.

La disputa se centra en la reanudación del suministro de petróleo ruso por el oleoducto Druzhba, dañado por ataques rusos según Kiev. Hungría y Eslovaquia condicionan su apoyo a las sanciones a la restauración de dicho suministro, mientras el gobierno húngaro acusa a Ucrania de bloquear el flujo por motivos políticos, un argumento rechazado por las autoridades ucranianas, quienes insisten en que trabajan para reparar la infraestructura bajo condiciones extremas de frío. Kallas defendió la prioridad ucraniana de restablecer la energía para su población, tras denunciar que el 80 % de la infraestructura energética de Ucrania ha resultado dañada.

La Comisión Europea propuso el 6 de febrero vetar completamente los servicios marítimos a petroleros rusos y extender las sanciones a nuevas empresas energéticas y bancos, con el objetivo de impedir el acceso de productos sensibles a Rusia. Sin embargo, el doble veto húngaro también afecta el paquete de ayuda macrofinanciera y militar a Ucrania por valor de 90.000 millones de euros, cuya aprobación requiere la unanimidad del Consejo Europeo. De esa suma, 60.000 millones están previstos para apoyo militar y 30.000 millones para respaldo macroeconómico en los próximos dos años.

El presidente del Consejo Europeo, António Costa, envió una carta al primer ministro húngaro, Viktor Orbán, exigiendo respeto a las decisiones adoptadas en la cumbre de diciembre y recordando que incumplir compromisos supone “una violación del principio de cooperación sincera”. Costa urgió a Orbán a desbloquear el préstamo, asegurando que “no se puede permitir a ningún Estado miembro socavar la credibilidad de las decisiones tomadas colectivamente por el Consejo Europeo”.

El gobierno ucraniano, por su parte, condenó lo que calificó de “chantaje” y “ultimátum” por parte de Hungría y Eslovaquia, señalando que Kiev ha ofrecido rutas alternativas para suministrar petróleo no ruso. La tensión se incrementa ante la proximidad de las elecciones legislativas en Hungría, donde Orbán enfrenta su mayor desafío político desde 2010, con la oposición liderando las encuestas. El mandatario ha intensificado su retórica contra la UE y Ucrania, atribuyendo a ambos intentos de interferencia electoral y de desestabilización mediante el bloqueo energético.

Líderes europeos como el canciller alemán Friedrich Merz y el presidente francés Emmanuel Macron reiteraron en Berlín y París su compromiso de apoyo a Ucrania. Merz instó a mantener la presión económica sobre Moscú para forzar el fin del conflicto, subrayando que “debemos secar la financiación de guerra de Moscú”. Por su parte, el presidente finlandés Alexander Stubb calificó la guerra como un “fracaso estratégico y económico” para Rusia, aunque advirtió que Vladimir Putin no parece dispuesto a pactar la paz.

Desde el inicio de la invasión, la UE ha entregado a Ucrania 194.900 millones de euros en asistencia financiera, mientras la mayoría de los países ha reducido o eliminado las importaciones energéticas rusas. No obstante, Hungría y Eslovaquia han mantenido —e incluso aumentado— su dependencia, amparándose en exenciones temporales concedidas por Bruselas en el marco de las sanciones. El futuro del paquete de sanciones y del préstamo a Kiev depende ahora de las negociaciones directas con Budapest y Bratislava, en un contexto marcado por la fragmentación y las presiones electorales internas.

La alta representante Kallas compartió con los Estados miembros un documento detallando las condiciones que la UE consideraría exigibles a Rusia para el cese de la guerra, incluyendo la retirada de tropas de los territorios ocupados, en línea con los compromisos internacionales previos. Se prevé que la cuestión será planteada a Orbán por Costa y la presidenta de la Comisión Europea, Ursula von der Leyen, durante su visita a Kiev en el aniversario de la invasión.

(Con información de EFE, AP y Europa Press)

Democratic lawmakers in one major blue state are facing backlash over their latest attempt to blunt federal immigration enforcement through a new bill crafted around a vulgar acronym.

The F—ICE Act, with the acronym spelled out in practice, is officially the «Fight Unlawful Conduct and Keep Individuals and Communities Empowered Act» and would permit civil action for violations of the U.S. Constitution related to immigration enforcement. The measure was introduced after a clash between a federal agent and a democratic socialist councilman.

Tensions between local and state officials and DHS had soared this month after federal authorities reportedly detained nearly a dozen people on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail in Jersey City. Jake Ephros, a Democratic Socialist councilman who went to the scene, was rebuffed by a federal agent who told him, «I don’t need a warrant, bro.»

Assembs. Ravi Bhalla and Katie Brennan, two Democrats from neighboring Hoboken, crafted the F—ICE Act in response to the incident. Bhalla also announced several other bills seeking to restrict New Jersey’s cooperation with the federal government, according to the Hudson County View.

BLOCKING ICE COOPERATION FUELED MINNESOTA UNREST, OFFICIALS WARN AS VIRGINIA REVERSES COURSE

Bhalla said that when he was mayor of neighboring Hoboken, his first move was to enact a sanctuary city ordinance. The city is famously home to Frank Sinatra and sits across the Hudson River from Midtown Manhattan.

«ICE has no place in our communities,» he said in a statement. «Now, the stakes are even higher, and it is incumbent on all of us to use the power we have to keep our residents safe.»

Brennan cited Ephros’ run-in with ICE in comments to People, adding that she cannot «sit back and do nothing while they violate people’s constitutional rights.»

«These bills strengthen local protections and make sure these agents of chaos face accountability. We have to use the full force of our state government to protect the people of New Jersey.»

Brennan told NJ Advance Media that while critics have voiced concern about her acting «unbecoming» and «unladylike,» she said it was fellow Hoboken Democrat state Sen. Raj Mukherji who came up with the acronym.

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New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Mukherji has said ICE has sown «seeds of chaos» nationwide.

Not all lawmakers were on board, including some from the state’s more conservative, rural northwest.

«So, they’re doing acronyms now,» said Assemb. Michael Inganamort, R-Chester.

«This sort of radicalism is the inevitable result of an unchecked, 25-year Democratic Majority. It’s what our Republican Minority stands against and why elections matter,» Inganamort said in a statement on X.

Assemb. Dawn Fantasia, R-Sussex, said the bill’s title is «wild» but the premise is «wilder.»

«[I] don’t have the text yet, but if it means what it sounds like, that’s illegal entry followed by a state-created pathway to sue over enforcement,» she said.

«If I was a bettin’ woman, I’d guess NJ taxpayers will be footing the legal bill.»

«Katie and Ravi need their mouths washed out with soap,» quipped conservative commentator Matt Rooney of «Save Jersey.»

Assemb. Paul Kanitra, R-Point Pleasant Beach, suggested the state should deal with the F—ICE Act the same way it deals with people who submit applications for off-color tags.

«Much like the state DMV has to turn down and in some cases even repossess license plates that are deemed vulgar, this should suffer the same fate,» Kanitra said.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill could not immediately be reached for comment.

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In one of her first acts in Trenton, Sherrill signed Executive Order 12, which restricts ICE activities on state property and creates a portal for residents to report immigration enforcement in their areas.

«I take seriously my responsibility to keep New Jersey residents safe and, as a Navy veteran and former federal prosecutor, my commitment to upholding the Constitution will never waver. This executive order will prohibit ICE from using state property to launch operations,» Sherrill said in a statement at the time.