Mexican protesters have shut a US southern border crossing amid fears that untested American travellers will spread coronavirus.
Residents in Sonora, south of the US state of Arizona, have promised to block traffic into Mexico for a second day after closing a checkpoint for hours on Wednesday.
They wore face masks and held signs telling Americans to “stay at home”.
Mexico has fewer than 500 confirmed Covid-19 cases and the US over 65,000.
The border is supposed to be closed to all except “essential” business, but protesters said there has been little enforcement and no testing by authorities.
The blockade was led by members of the group Sonorans for Health and Life, who called for medical testing to be done on anyone who crosses from the US into Mexico.
White House Responds After Trump Misses Out on Nobel Peace Prize: ‘Politics Over Peace’
Spanberger excoriated online as a ‘coward’ for refusal to ditch ‘unhinged’ Jay Jones
Developing: Dominion Voting Bought Out, Renamed in Effort to Restore Trust to Vulnerable Electronic Voting Systems
New poll reveals Mamdani’s lead is shrinking as Cuomo gains ground in NYC showdown
Timeline of the Palisades Fire manhunt: From alleged midnight spark to Florida arrest
Gaza ceasefire takes effect, ending fighting after over two years
Rutgers professor signs petition to disband Turning Point USA from campus
‘Nude men in locker rooms’: Earle-Sears blasts Spanberger over transgender locker room stance in heated debate
What will Trump’s ultimate legacy be: peacemaker or ‘disruptor’?
US turns to Finland to close Arctic ‘icebreaker gap’ as Russia, China expand polar presence
Trump bets on Kushner and Witkoff to see through Israel and Hamas peace deal
Trump deserves huge credit for achieving peace in Gaza, but marred the moment with his campaign of retribution
Kamala Harris returns to DC for 107 Days book tour
Taylor’s Swift’s frozen pedestal
‘The Morning Show’ outgrows its subject
Jose Luis Hernandez, a group member, told the Arizona Republic: “There are no health screenings by the federal government to deal with this pandemic. 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 Mexican president has been criticised for his response to the pandemic, as has US President Donald Trump.
Mr Hernandez said the Wednesday demonstrations were a “first warning” to Mr Lopez Obrador, popularly known by his initials, Amlo.
The group has called for enforcement of the crossing ban on all US or Mexican citizens for tourism or medical reasons, including those who cross the border every day to attend school or work in the US.
Authorities must also conduct medical testing on Mexicans deported from the US, they said.
White House Responds After Trump Misses Out on Nobel Peace Prize: ‘Politics Over Peace’
Spanberger excoriated online as a ‘coward’ for refusal to ditch ‘unhinged’ Jay Jones
Developing: Dominion Voting Bought Out, Renamed in Effort to Restore Trust to Vulnerable Electronic Voting Systems
New poll reveals Mamdani’s lead is shrinking as Cuomo gains ground in NYC showdown
Timeline of the Palisades Fire manhunt: From alleged midnight spark to Florida arrest
Gaza ceasefire takes effect, ending fighting after over two years
Rutgers professor signs petition to disband Turning Point USA from campus
‘Nude men in locker rooms’: Earle-Sears blasts Spanberger over transgender locker room stance in heated debate
What will Trump’s ultimate legacy be: peacemaker or ‘disruptor’?
US turns to Finland to close Arctic ‘icebreaker gap’ as Russia, China expand polar presence
Trump bets on Kushner and Witkoff to see through Israel and Hamas peace deal
Trump deserves huge credit for achieving peace in Gaza, but marred the moment with his campaign of retribution
Kamala Harris returns to DC for 107 Days book tour
Taylor’s Swift’s frozen pedestal
‘The Morning Show’ outgrows its subject
The group have vowed to block the DeConcini checkpoint again after shutting it down on Wednesday afternoon.
President Trump has made cutting the number of people crossing the border from Mexico into the US a centrepiece of his administration. He blames border-crossers from the south for bringing economic and social problems into the US.
He announced last week that the frontier was to close due to coronavirus.
Story cited here.
