In summary Violence broke out in at least a dozen Mexican states after the slaying of a cartel kingpin known as ‘El Mencho’. Heavily-armed men blocked roads in at least a dozen Mexican states, setting vehicles ablaze and damaging local Oxxo convenience stores. “There might be a spike in violence in border states and that’s dangerous because even though the violence has never really spilt across into the United States” it is happening right on the border, he said. Both said firepower behind cartel violence is tied to weapons flowing southbound into Mexico from the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is aware of and monitoring the violence in Mexico,” a CBP spokesperson emailed CalMatters.

Source: New York Times February 24, 2026 13:30 UTC