Borderlands Mexico is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Truckers lift nationwide blockades after reaching deal; Jisu Fortune arrives in Mexico with more than 5,000 vehicles from China; and Dual Borgstena opens a new automotive plant in Coahuila, creating up to 900 jobs.
Truckers lift nationwide blockades after reaching deal
Mexican truckers and farmers began removing most highway and border blockades on Thursday after reaching a series of agreements with federal authorities, easing several days of disruptive protests that choked freight flows across the country and into the U.S.
The blockades — which hit major highways, toll booths and multiple U.S. border crossings — were organized in response to escalating highway insecurity, rising cargo theft, farmer grievances over water regulations, and demands for overdue subsidy payments, according to KGUN.
The road blockades sharply curtailed cross-border shipments: in Nogales, Arizona, only 3 of 32 produce trucks scheduled to arrive earlier this week made it through, raising concerns about fresh-fruit and vegetable shortages after Thanksgiving.
Trade leaders said the blockade was having an economic impact of about $3 million a day in lost cross-border salaries and revenue, including impacting Mexico’s maquiladora industry which relies on finished products being exported to the U.S.
“In Nogales alone, approximately 50,000 jobs depend on the export of finished products,” Genaro Vecerra, CEO of Index Nogales, told El Emparcial.
After more than 12 hours of negotiations, leaders from the National Front for the Rescue of the Countryside and the National Association of Truckers said the government committed to:
• Improving highway security amid growing violence and trucker disappearances,
• Reviewing provisions of the proposed Water Law,
• Guaranteeing pending payments for corn and wheat producers,
• Maintaining a permanent working group to address rural pricing and trade issues, including protecting basic grains in the 2026 USMCA review.
Mexico’s Interior Ministry (Segob) said the agreement will restore “the free movement of the population and emergency services” and begin normalizing freight flows nationwide,” reported Evyn Chihuahua.
By Thursday afternoon, Omnia reported at least 90% of blockades had been lifted, according to the National Association of Transporters (ANTAC), though isolated closures remained in states such as Tamaulipas, Oaxaca, Hidalgo and Guanajuato.
Despite progress, protest leaders stressed that lifting the blockades does not mean their demands have been abandoned. They warned they will continue monitoring the government’s commitments and could resume demonstrations if promised actions stall.
Related: Widespread blockades snarl highways across Mexico, threatening freight flows
Jisu Fortune arrives in Mexico with more than 5,000 vehicles from China
The Port of Lázaro Cárdenas received the Jisu Fortune on Nov. 22, marking the vessel’s inaugural call to Mexico and delivering more than 5,000 vehicles from Chinese automaker Geely, according to a news release.
The Liberian-flagged ship — powered primarily by liquefied natural gas — arrived from Ningbo, China, and discharged 5,041 Geely and Zeekr vehicles over a four-day, 12-shift operation at the port’s Specialized Automotive Terminal operated by SSA Mexico.
The landing of the Jisu Fortune strengthens Lázaro Cárdenas’ position as a growing automotive hub, supporting an expanding pipeline of Asian vehicle imports into Mexico, authorities said.
The Port of Lázaro Cárdenas is a key Pacific Coast gateway for automotive imports and exports from Asia, and has an annual container capacity of over 2.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units.
Dual Borgstena opens new automotive plant in Coahuila, creating up to 900 jobs
South Korean manufacturer Dual Borgstena has opened a production plant in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico, an investment that will generate more than 880–900 new jobs and bolster the state’s growing automotive supply chain, according to The Saltillo Herald.
The facility will produce upholstery for car seats, with state officials highlighting the project as another sign of Coahuila’s stability, labor quality and appeal to foreign investors.
Coahuila state economic officials said the new plant aligns with Coahuila’s industrial strategy, noting that additional Korean suppliers are already considering future investments in the region.
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