(KRON) -- A music festival in Morgan Hill is now canceled after the headliner Los Alegres Del Barranco had their work visas revoked by the U.S. State Department.
The Trump administration says the band's music praises Mexican cartels.
Pinole police probe viral video of racist rant as hate incidentLos Alegres Del Barranco was supposed to go on a multi-month tour in the United States with their first stop at Rancho Grande de Morgan Hill.
"We had an event April 27," said co-owner Hugo Sencion. "Sadly, a couple weeks ago, we got notice. We did hear from the promoters it was going to get canceled. We don't know what's going on so were canceling our show because of that."
The band came under fire because some of their songs talk about the cartel. The Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted on X, formerly Twitter, that because of this the band's work and tourist visas are revoked.
Sencion says they have the wrong idea. "[The album] Corridos is a story I believe. That's what they're doing, telling a story about cartels in Mexico."
Dr. Nathian Shay Rodriguez at San Diego State University specializes in Latin American Culture and Digital Media studies. He says the band is not glorifying cartels but talking about the reality.
"When they sing about Narcos, it's about warnings," says Dr. Rodriguez. "It's lived experiences taken into art. We see this in movies and poems"
“Bands like those do not pose any bad influence,” added Dr. Rodriguez. “It’s about the storytelling they do... The songs sung by not just Mexican 'grupos' like this, but musicians around the world. It’s all about storytelling.”
Dr. Rodriguez says the visas being pulled is just political.
Back at the ranch, Sencion is getting ready for other events like Cinco de Mayo and a May 18 rodeo. He still feels the burn by missing out on the band.
"They're actually doing well right now because of the song that canceled them," says Sencion.
KRON4 reached out to the band Wednesday to find out what they can do to get their visas back, but we did not hear back at the time of this report.
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