Two border crossings in Mexico were blocked by hundreds of truckers protesting a recent slew of visa revocations by the US government on Thursday.
Truck drivers blocked the border crossings in Mexicali and San Luis Rio Colorado in the state of Sonora, Mexico on Thursday, September 3rd.
According to AFN News, the protest was organized in response to the recent influx of inspections at the border and withdrawal of visas by the US government at the Mexico/US Border. The protestors claim that the visas of many truck drivers have been withdrawn without sufficient explanation, and that no part of the Mexican government has attempted to help affected truck drivers.
Drivers participating in the protest say that scrutiny from the US government at the border has increased substantially over the last week. Truck driver Conrado Marron Valencia says that US authorities have started falsely accusing drivers attempting to cross the border of cabotage when the drivers were just in the country to deliver their loads. Marron Valencia says that drivers are experiencing delays of up to nine days when making deliveries to the US in recent days. He says that these delays are due to changes in customs procedures, import declarations, and even delays at the receivers.
“What they’re doing to the truck drivers is a witch hunt; they’re treating them like criminals, causing them psychological harm,” said Alan Verdugo, a truck driver at the protest, to KYMA. “They no longer want to travel through Mexicali, and in the WhatsApp chat groups, everyone is asking if the ICE agents are at the border crossing.”
Marron Valencia says that, within his union, 17 drivers have had their visas cancelled in the last week, and between 2 and 5 documents are withdrawn from fellow union drivers at the border per day. He also claims that ICE agents have started threatening to detain the truck drivers and revoke the visas of their family members if they refuse to accept charges of cabotage.
Protestors say that no political party or organization has aligned themselves with the cause, and that the drivers have even been ignored by the National Chamber of Freight Transportation. Drivers also say that some trucking companies are in opposition to the protests and are more interested in making money than helping drivers.
The drivers warn that the protests could continue into vegetable harvesting season, which could affect the jobs of many families.
The videos below are in spanish, but do showcase some photos and videos of the protest.
