A popular singer from Chiapas, Mexico, has announced that he has cancelled his U.S. tour after the Trump administration denied his visa request.
Singer Julión Álvarez took to his social media to tell fans in Arlington, Texas, that he was forced to cancel his shows there after being refused an entry visa.
“We don’t have the ability to come to the US and fulfill our commitment to you,” Álvarez wrote on Instagram, according to the Daily Beast. “The event will be postponed, until we hear what comes next.”
This is not the first time that Álvarez was forced to disappoint fans in the U.S. as he has been repeatedly denied a visa over the last decade. Indeed, last year, the Biden administration unexpectedly approved his request for temporary visa to perform in the U.S. and it was the first time in seven years he was permitted to enter the country.
U.S. officials have repeatedly denied the singer’s visa requests after suspicions that he is linked to Raúl Flores, a Sinaloa Drug Cartel leader. However, Álvarez has steadfastly denied being involved in any cartel business. And even though he admitted to partnering with Flores in a real estate business deal, he said that he did not know the real estate company he was doing business with was connected to Flores.
Álvarez is not the first Mexican artist to have concerts cancelled due to the Trump administration’s denial of a visa.
In April, the State Department denied temporary visitor visas to Los Alegres del Barranco, a Narcocorrido band that sings songs glorifying the drug cartels.
In a post replying to the revocation of their visas, the band insisted they never intended to offend anyone, writing in Spanish, “It was never our intention to generate controversy, let alone cause offense. We will take more stringent measures regarding the visual and narrative content of our performances,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
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