Mexican singer Julión Álvarez said his visa to enter the United States was revoked before a sold-out May 24 show at AT&T Stadium in Texas.
His group, Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda, had to postpone the evening concert at the Dallas Cowboys’ Arlington stadium with nearly 50,000 tickets sold, according to a May 23 news release.
In a video posted to Instagram, Álvarez said he was told the morning of May 23 his work visa was canceled.
“It’s not possible for us to go to the United States to fulfill our commitment to you,” Álvarez, 42, said in Spanish. “It’s a situation that’s out of our hands.”
Concert promoter CMN and Álvarez’s record label Copar Music said they were looking to reschedule the performance with tickets remaining valid, the AT&T Stadium news release said. They would work to refund tickets in the coming days.
“I apologize to all of you,” Álvarez, who is called King of the Ticket Office, said. “And God willing, we’ll be in contact to share more information.”
In an email response to USA TODAY, the U.S. State Department declined to comment on Álvarez’s announcement, since visa records are confidential by law.
In recent years, Mexican artists have increased in popularity in the United States.
At the same time, narcocorridos, or drug ballads, have gained mainstream followings in Mexico and abroad, including in the United States. The style has drawn the ire of officials in Mexico and the United States.
Álvarez is the latest Mexican musician to say he had his visa revoked to perform in the country during the second Trump administration, as officials look to cut down on immigration.
Earlier this year, the State Department revoked the visas for band members of Los Alegres del Barranco after the band displayed an image of Mexican drug lord Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” while performing a narcocorrido dedicated to him at their concert near Guadalajara, Mexico, in late March. The group had a planned American tour.
In early April, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau confirmed the department canceled Los Alegres’ work and tourist visas for “glorifying” Oseguera Cervantes, who is head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The Trump administration has designated CJNG and other Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called for an investigation of Los Alegres’ concert. A spokesperson for the band defended their right to make their music freely, without punishment, in an interview with Billboard Español.
It wasn’t immediately clear why Álvarez’s visa had been revoked ahead of his May 24 show. An award-winning regional Mexican artist, Álvarez plays traditional corridos, or ballads, along with mariachi and cumbia. He’s known for songs about love or heartbreak, such as “El Amor De Su Vida” and “Cero Empatía.”
In 2017, he had his visa revoked after the Treasury Department accused him and former Mexican professional soccer player Rafa Marquez of having ties to a drug trafficker identified under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. American officials accused them of acting as fronts to hold assets for the trafficker.
Álvarez denied the accusations. The designation had him banned from Spotify, Billboard reported.
In 2022, he was taken off the list, and Spotify allowed his music back on its platform, where he has nearly 17 million monthly listeners. Álvarez then was able to perform in the United States again.
In mid-April, Álvarez had three sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles after years of not playing in the country, according to the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mexican singer Julión Álvarez had his visa revoked before Texas show
