Mexican Protesters Shut Down U.S. Border Crossing Over Coronavirus Fears

Mexican Protesters Shut Down U.S. Border Crossing Over Coronavirus Fears

A group of protesters in the Mexican state of Sonora shut a border crossing with the United States on Thursday over fears about the Covid-19 global pandemic. Mexico had fewer than 600 cases of the disease on Friday compared to more than 85,000 in the U.S.

The protesters wore face masks and held signs saying ‘stay at home’ as they closed a checkpoint on the U.S. southern border yesterday. The crossing is south of Arizona. They have vowed to do so again on Friday.

Officially, the border crossing is closed to all but ‘essential’ business but the local protest group, Sonorans for Health and Life, claim that there is little enforcement of these restrictions and that testing is not taking place. They want anyone coming from the U.S. to be tested.

“There are no health screenings by the federal government to deal with this pandemic,” said group member Jose Luis Hernandez.

“That’s why we’re here in Nogales. We’ve taken this action to call on the Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to act now.”

The U.S. Consulate General in Nogales advised American citizens yesterday that they should return home immediately.

This is an interesting reversal of the border situation over the past three years. President Donald Trump has constantly insisted on tougher border restrictions with Mexico and pushed for the construction of a border wall. Now some Mexicans are asking for crossings to be closed to stem the potential flow of disease.

Darragh Roche

Darragh Roche is Political Media Editor

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