Latin American singers, bands see visas revoked

More and more singers and bands from Latin America are having their visas revoked.

Last month, a concert in Morgan Hill was canceled because the U.S. State Department yanked the band’s work visas over claims the group was singing about cartels and violence.

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Lorenzo de Monteclaro, an icon in musical circles who tours across Latin America and the United States, took to Instagram to say he won’t be appearing in U.S. concerts for the foreseeable future because his visa was revoked.

Earlier this year, Julion Alvarez was the first Latin singer to sell out SoFi Stadium three nights in a row. But he had to cancel his sold-out concert this past Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Texas because his visa was revoked.

"This is not just simply a one-off thing," political science Professor Andres Quintero said. "This is a pattern. This could really impact the industry if we continue to see these targeted attacks on Latino artists."

At least four other bands from Mexico that play similar music have reported the same fate, including Banda Cuisillos.

In an emailed response to NBC Bay Area's questions, the State Department said "Visa records are confidential under U.S. law; therefore, we cannot comment on individual cases."