U.S. Revokes Visa of Nogales Mayor Amid Ongoing Scrutiny of Mexican Officials

The mayor of Nogales, a northern Mexican border city adjacent to Arizona, has announced that his U.S. visa has been revoked by American authorities. Juan Francisco Gim shared the news in a video posted on X, stating that the United States had made a decision regarding his immigration status, which he said he “respects.” He did not provide a specific reason for the revocation but emphasized that it was part of “an administrative process” and stressed that he had not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Mayor Gim, a member of the ruling Morena party, assured the public that he continues to carry out his duties and remains actively involved in cross-border security meetings. His case follows a similar instance in May 2024 when Marina del Pilar Avila, governor of Baja California and also a Morena party member, revealed her U.S. visa had been canceled.

Under U.S. law, visa information is confidential, and immigration authorities have declined to comment on the reasons behind the revocations. However, Gim recently attracted attention for comments made during a Fox News interview in which he praised the Trump-era immigration crackdown, referring to it as a “house cleaning.”

In recent months, several Mexican musicians have also faced visa cancellations or issues preventing them from performing in the U.S. Notably, the band Los Alegres del Barranco had their visas revoked in April after displaying images of drug kingpin Nemesio Oseguera, alias “El Mencho,” during a concert. The U.S. has designated his cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, as a terrorist organization.