Mexican truckers block California border crossing over B-1 visa crackdown

A developing trucker protest over the revocation of B-1 visas is disrupting commercial traffic at the Calexico East-Mexicali border crossing Thursday, as Mexican drivers demand answers from U. S. authorities over how cabotage rules are being enforced.

Truck drivers began blocking access to the commercial crossing on the Mexico-side between Mexicali, Baja California, and Calexico, California, Thursday morning, according to multiple Mexican news reports. Drivers participating in the protest say U. S.

authorities have been revoking B-1 visas following inspections and questioning over their activities in the U. S. , AFN Tijuana reported.

The National Chamber of Freight Transportation (CANACAR) warned Wednesday that drivers from Mexicali and the surrounding region had called for a demonstration and possible closure of the commercial border crossings at Mexicali and San Luis Río Colorado beginning at 5 a. m. Thursday.

CANACAR’s Mexicali office advised trucking companies to monitor developments and take precautions for possible disruptions to border access, transportation and operations. The protest comes amid growing concern in Mexico’s trucking industry over U. S. enforcement of restrictions on Mexican commercial drivers operating under B-1 visas.

Mexican B-1 drivers are permitted to transport international cargo between Mexico and the United States but are prohibited from engaging in cabotage — hauling domestic freight between two points within the United States. Drivers participating in Thursday’s protest say they want U. S.

authorities to provide clearer guidance about what activities constitute cabotage and what actions can result in a B-1 visa being revoked.

Mexican news outlets, such as Quadratín Baja California, reported that protesters alleged 17 drivers had their visas revoked in Mexicali this week, although accounts differ on precisely when those revocations occurred and FreightWaves has not independently verified the number.

Ismael Reyes de la Rosa, CANACAR’s representative in Mexicali, said in a television interview Thursday that the organization is asking drivers who have lost their visas to bring their cases forward so CANACAR can determine what happened.

Reyes de la Rosa said he personally knows of 11 people who have had their visas taken and called for the circumstances surrounding the cases to be investigated. The demonstration appears to be driver-led rather than formally organized by CANACAR. Several participants told Mexican media that drivers organized the blockade themselves.

An estimated 1,255 commercial trucks cross the Calexico East-Mexicali Port of Entry every day, generating around $2 billion in cross-border trade annually. A wide range of industrial, automotive, medical and agricultural goods pass through the crossing.

Reports Thursday also indicated that truckers were protesting at the commercial crossing in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, while drivers warned that demonstrations could spread to other border crossings, including Tijuana, if authorities do not address their concerns. FreightWaves has reached out to U. S.

Customs and Border Protection for additional information. Why it matters: A prolonged or expanding blockade over B-1 visa enforcement could disrupt truck capacity and freight flows at key U. S. -Mexico commercial crossings, adding a supply-chain dimension to a growing dispute between Mexican drivers and U. S. border authorities.

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