Corridos tumbaos singer Natanael Cano’s visa revoked; he’s now under investigation

Mexican singer of corridos tumbaos, Natanael Cano, was banned from entering the United States after it was revealed he lied on his application to work in the United States.

Cano, whose music is a mix of Mexican corridos and trap, originally applied for a Religious Worker (R-1) visa, which is a nonimmigrant category to allow religious workers to temporarily work in the United States. However, in his recent renewal, immigration authorities began a more thorough investigation. 

Last week, entertainment journalist Javier Ceriani said on his YouTube channel that the first time Cano received an R-1 visa was petitioned by Franco Events Marketing LLC. He then renewed under the company CT Records, which is owned by Cano.

“He founded a corporation and filed to renew his own visa,” said Ceriani. “This company could be sanctioned because it has an American address and he requested the wrong visa. That’s fraud.”

On his third renewal application, the United States Citizenship Immigration Services (USCIS) noted Cano is not a religious singer and got his visa canceled. It is unknown if he will be able to obtain a tourist visa. 

CALÓ News tried to obtain a comment from his manager but is still waiting for a response. 

CALÓ News also tried to get a statement from the USCIS and while they haven’t directly responded to this case, its website states that the agency can revoke a Religious Worker R-1 visa when the petitioner goes out of business or if the beneficiary is found to have violated the terms of their visa or engaged in unauthorized employment. The beneficiary can also lose their visa if USCIS finds out the application was approved based on fraud or misrepresentation. 

More singers with revoked visas

With this announcement, Cano joins a group of Mexican singers who have had their visas revoked. They include Julion Alvarez, Grupo Firme, Luis R Conriquez, Tito Double P., Santa Fe Klan and Gabito Ballesteros.

Other singers like Espinoza Paz have been fighting to obtain their visa approval for more than three years. 

In April, Los Alegres del Barranco were denied entry to the United States for allegedly glorifying drug kingpin “El Mencho”, head of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, in a concert in Mexico.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau confirmed via Xthat the State Department had revoked the band members’ work and tourism visas. 

“In the Trump Administration, we take seriously our responsibility over foreigners’ access to our country. The last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and terrorists,” said Landau. 

Ceriani said after seeing all these visa denials he recommends Mexican singers who may be in trouble not to come to the United States because they will be investigated. 

 “Those who had their visas issued for reasons other than their intended purpose are doing immigration fraud,” he said.