On Feb. 22, 2026, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, or “El Mencho,” was killed in a Mexican military operation based on intelligence from the United States. In light of his killing, chaos and violence have spread throughout the Mexican state of Jalisco between cartels and other groups fighting for power in the void El Mencho left behind.

An anonymous student at Perry has personal investment in the conflict.

“I have family in Jalisco. It’s been a little scary for them in their house with everything going on outside. Schools and businesses had to close and people were told to stay home. They could hear gunshots outside their homes,” they said.

For this student, the conflict has widened existing wounds in their family.

“I have people in my family that don’t see eye to eye. There’s a lot of tension. There’s a rift in my family in Mexico because I have a few family members who are in the cartel and obviously the rest of my family does not approve,” they said. 

For this student, the conflict was fairly inevitable. 

“There’s been so much tension building up that it was bound to end up as something like this. This has been brewing a long time based on what my grandpa has told me and this just happens from time to time. It is not good but it is expected,” they said.

They do believe the conflict will end quietly, “It seems like the type of thing that will just blow over after some time. I don’t see anything stepping in to put a stop to all of this,” they said.

This conflict in Mexico isn’t just a fight between governments and crime organizations, it also affects the daily life of normal Mexicans.