US Veteran-Led Org Helped Evacuate People From Mexican Cartel Violence

Chaos has tamped down across Mexico after a cartel leader’s killing at the hands of the national army led to widespread violence. A U.S. military veteran-led organization has been at the forefront of aiding citizens and noncitizens alike, telling Military.com that hundreds reached out for their assistance.

Violence erupted last week after the Mexican army killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” who has become infamous for a criminal network that according to the Associated Press has trafficked cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine to the United States.

The killing impacted airline flights and rerouted cruise ships headed to popular vacation destinations. The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning on Feb. 21 calling for U.S. citizens in Mexico at the time to shelter in place, then lifted that order by Feb. 23, saying the “situation returned to normal” in the areas of Quintana Roo State including Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum, and the states of Sinaloa, and Tamaulipas.

As of Feb. 25, all flights were announced to be on normal schedules and the U.S. Embassy and all consulates in Mexico were operating normally.

Mario Duarte, CEO of the U.S.-based international rescue organization Project DYNAMO, told Military.com that assistance was immediately offered in the aftermath of Cervantes’ killing.

“The situation in Mexico has stabilized, but during the height of the uncertainty our team immediately shifted into support mode for Americans and families looking for a safe way out,” Duarte said on Thursday. “Behind the scenes, the work was less about dramatic rescues and more about disciplined coordination and real-time problem solving.”

Efforts On The Ground

The work of Duarte and the organization involved helping families build safe, practical travel plans by identifying the most secure routes to the airport, complete with “pressure testing” those routes against what advocates were seeing and hearing on the ground.

Along with verifying flight status to ensure people were not heading into avoidable risk or showing up for flights that had been canceled, they acted “as an information bridge” to provide awareness in a fast-moving situation ripe with rumors and misinformation.

When the situation first escalated, DYNAMO volunteers were among the first to arrive in the area. Roughly 150 people reached out for help, according to Duarte, including several larger groups composed of individuals on work assignments and vacation travelers who all shared a common thread: uncertainty.

Even as conditions began to normalize, they helped about 25 families safely design and execute their routes to the airport and confirm their flights were still operating.

In many cases, the assistance we provided made the difference between families making calm, informed moves versus reacting blindly in a fluid situation.

The calamitous nature of events also impacted cruise lines heading near hostile regions. Carnival said its Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess and Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam were bypassing their planned stops in Puerto Vallarta last Monday, according to CNBC, while the Norwegian Cruise Line ship Norwegian Bliss canceled its plans to hit Puerto Vallarta last Wednesday.

“At this point, the situation appears to have stabilized and is largely back to normal,” Duarte added. “That said, we are still maintaining active oversight. We currently have team members still in Mexico monitoring conditions and tracking developments so we can respond quickly if anything changes.

“If tensions were to rise again, we are prepared to continue providing the same kind of direct support, situational awareness and route planning assistance that helped families move safely during the most uncertain period.”