At least 20 people were arrested in Tijuana and other parts of Baja California on Sunday as vehicles and stores were set on fire in response, officials said, to the killing of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel by the Mexican army.

As of 9 p.m., the Baja California government had reported 22 incidents throughout the state, 10 in Tijuana. News outlets across the state reported cases of vehicles burning. Similar incidents were reported in other Mexican states.

There were no injuries in the incidents reported in Baja California, which also occurred in Mexicali, Tecate, and San Quintín.

Early on Sunday, Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila posted on social media that the burning of vehicles on various roadways was related to the federal operation that resulted in the death of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes. Oseguera, also known as “El Mencho,” was one of the most wanted drug lords in Mexico and the United States. The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest.

Mexico’s Ministry of National Defense said that military personnel responded to an armed attack during the operation in Jalisco to arrest Oseguera. Four cartel members were killed at the scene and three more, including Oseguera, were seriously injured. He died while being flown to Mexico City.

Mexican officials said there was cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico in carrying out the operation.

“The United States provided intelligence support to the Mexican government in order to assist with an operation in Talpalpa, Jalisco, Mexico, in which Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, an infamous drug lord and leader within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was eliminated. ‘El Mencho’ was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on X.

Baja California launched a statewide security operation with increased patrols and checkpoints “to ensure the safety of Baja Californians,” Ávila said. Of those arrested statewide, 11 were in Tijuana.

In Tijuana, a taxi was burned on Avenida Internacional, which runs parallel to the U.S.-Mexico border fence, and a pickup truck burned near Playas de Tijuana. Several businesses, including convenience stores, pharmacies and supermarkets, closed early Sunday throughout the city. Public transportation was also temporarily suspended.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico issued an alert for U.S. citizens in several states, including Baja California. “Due to ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity, U.S. citizens in the named locations should shelter in place until further notice.”

The U.S. Embassy also instructed government staff at the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana and in other states to shelter in place.

The embassy asked U.S. citizens to remain in their residences or hotels, avoid areas around law enforcement activities, and monitor local media for updates.

The U.S. Consulate in Tijuana announced the suspension of routine visa and U.S. citizen services on Monday due to “ongoing security operations and related travel disruptions.” The consulate asked the public to check their email for updates on rescheduled appointments.

Baja California officials reported at 9 p.m. that the state’s highways were open to traffic with no blockades, and that toll booths were operating normally.

“We are protecting the state’s highways and other strategic areas through constant vigilance, so that economic and social activity can continue as usual,” Ávila said Sunday night in a video posted on her social media.

In-person classes were suspended on Monday as a precautionary measure and will be held remotely, officials said.

The day was reminiscent of a series of similar incidents carried out in August 2022, when private and public vehicles were burned throughout Baja California and other states. These attacks, linked to the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, were also in response to a Mexican military operation that resulted in the arrest of cartel members.

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Sandy Grindle

OBITUARY

Our beloved sister, Sandra Lynne Grindle, 84, passed away from Alzheimer’s Disease on February 14, 2026 in Roseburg, Oregon. Sandy was the daughter of A.W. “Woody” and Dorathea “Dotty” Grindle of Chula Vista. After graduating from San Diego State University, Sandy taught for over fifty years in the Chula Vista junior and senior high schools. She was a talented, dedicated, and enthusiastic teacher, spending many hours perfecting innovative math and physics demonstrations. Her IB Physics students were treated to many memorable experiences including complex, fascinating experiments, and hundreds of homemade brownies she baked and individually gift wrapped. Sandy pursued her master’s degree in physics instruction from Cal State Fullerton to enhance her teaching skills. Teaching was her proudest accomplishment; her “happy place.” Throughout her life Sandy sought new experiences and skills, mastering the accordion as a child, lifeguarding and sailing as a teen, building a geodesic dome home as a geometry teacher, and teaching internationally in South Korea as an IB physics instructor. Always an animal lover, Sandy owned birds, cats, and dogs, including five rescued Greyhounds. In her late seventies, you could find Sandy on her tractor mowing the lower forty. Sandy is survived by her sister Margaret (Brian), brother Daniel (Michaela), nephew John (Christine), niece Ritamarie (Eli), and three great-nephews, Colin, Hank, and Joe.