Teamsters Against Mexican Truckers’ Freedom in the U.S.

In a speech that might appear excessively disturbing to the public, Teamsters President James Hoffa said that the U.S. government has "sucker punched" American workers and threatened national security by opening the nation's southern border to Mexican truckers.

Hoffa was referring to a new pilot program that permits up to 100 Mexican carriers to go beyond a 25-mile buffer zone in the U.S. The program comes under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

As a part of the agreement, the U.S. Transportation Department gave a go-ahead to Transporters Olympic, based in a suburb of Monterrey, Mexico, to haul cargo anywhere in the United States. In turn, Mexico permitted Stagecoach Cartage & Distribution Inc. of El Paso to travel anywhere in Mexico.

Dozens of truckers protested on the streets of San Diego and Laredo, waving American flags and holding placards stating "NAFTA Kills" and "Unsafe Mexican Trucks."

The Teamsters president appeared to be the most vociferous critic of this program and minced no words in terming it as a potential disaster. He said, "It's a disaster waiting to happen."

Sarcastically, he said, "Oh, George Bush is so worried about national security." Addressing about a thousand Teamster women and guests, he vehemently said, "The Bush administration has sucker punched American workers by opening our highways to dangerous trucks. We don't know who these drivers are and we don't know what they're bringing in. The weapons of mass destruction George Bush is looking for could be in the backs of these trucks."

The government, however, claims that it has imposed thorough safety protocols in the program. The safety measures include drug and alcohol testing for drivers done by U.S. companies. Moreover, law enforcement officials require interstate truck and bus drivers to have a basic understanding of written and spoken English.

The Teamsters along with Sierra Club and watchdog group Public Citizen sued to stop the program. However, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Bush administration