US pauses government operations in cartel-ridden Mexican state

The U.S. State Department said a “threat against American interests” forced the United States to suspend all of its government activities in a Mexican state where visitors face a risk of violence “from terrorist groups, cartels, gangs and criminal organizations.”

The warning from the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico about the state of Michoacan, which is located west of Mexico City, includes a halt to the inspections of avocados required for their export, according to The Associated Press.

“Due to a threat against American interests, U.S. government activities in Michoacan State have been suspended as of August 5,” the message read. “Reminder that the U.S. travel advisory designates Michoacan as a Level 4 ‘Do Not Travel’ area.”

While the U.S. embassy did not specify the nature of the threat in its security alert, Michoacan Gov. Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla said on social media that a temporary halt to avocado inspections was intended to safeguard workers following recent arrests linked to alleged extortion, the AP reported.

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The western state of Michoacan is the leading exporter of avocados to the U.S. and has a high level of organized crime activity with at least four cartels — designated as terrorist organizations by the Trump administration — operating in the region. Besides trafficking drugs, cartels also make money through extortion, including of the avocado industry.

The State Department warns Americans to “exercise increased caution” throughout Mexico due to “terrorism, crime, and kidnapping.”

For Michoacan state, it said, “There is a risk of violence in the state from terrorist groups, cartels, gangs and criminal organizations.”

Michoacan State Security Secretary Antonio Cruz told the AP that one of the arrests mentioned by the governor was of “El Poncho,” the alias of Alfonso Fernández Magallón, leader of a local cartel operating in the avocado-growing region around Los Reyes.

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U.S. ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson welcomed the arrest, which came over the weekend. The U.S. government had offered a $5 million reward.

Cruz said his department was unaware of any direct incidents involving the avocado inspectors. However, 300 security personnel were deployed to the Los Reyes area as a preventive measure.

The governor said the priority was to “ensure the security conditions necessary for these operations to resume normally,” as has happened in the past.

In 2025, Mexico sold $3.65 billion worth of avocados to the United States, and in the first four months of this year, those exports rose by 35% compared to the same period in the previous year.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture sends inspectors in Mexico to monitor plantations and packing houses to ensure that exported produce is free of pests. Threats and violence against the inspectors have caused the U.S. to suspend inspections in the past.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.