Tijuana border paralyzed for hours, leaving tourists and travelers stranded

Members of the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) marched yesterday on Paseo de los Héroes in Tijuana’s Zona Río neighborhood to block the access lanes from San Diego to Baja California at the El Chaparral border crossing, leaving hundreds of tourists and travelers, both national and international, stranded.

The border crossing blockade is part of the protest actions in Baja California demanding the repeal of the 2007 ISSSTE Law.

The march departed at 9:00 a.m. from the Tijuana Education System, heading toward the border crossing with San Diego.

In addition to impeding free movement for drivers in the busy Zona Río neighborhood, the blockade inconvenienced travelers at the international access point from the United States to Mexico. Among the disagreements was a motorcyclist who was stranded by the CNTE teachers’ blockade at the entrance to Mexico City and threatened to break through the fence of protesters.

The CNTE teachers are demanding the repeal of the reform to the ISSSTE law and a salary increase, as they consider the 9% increase recently granted insufficient.

The teachers removed the blockade after two hours of protest.