Mexican transporters call for national strike in April

The National Transporters Association (ANTAC) called for demonstrations and road blockades in April, denouncing the lack of measures against disappearances, extortions, and homicides on highways, as well as the rise in gasoline prices. "So that you can see that we are not so unconscious, let the famous Holy Week pass; let everyone go out for a walk, on vacation," and after that the blockades will be carried out, said ANTAC president David Estévez in a video. Estévez said that there have been "so-called advances" in their demands after last year's demonstrations, in favor of transporters and peasants who face extortion and other issues. "Insecurity continues as much as ever (…) In the countryside, they said they would buy agricultural products so that they would not spoil, that has also not been fulfilled," he pointed out. Likewise, although he thanked some officials from the Ministry of the Interior (Segob) for their work as interlocutors in the working tables, he pointed out that there are no clear actions to address the insecurity situations that transporters live. Without concrete actions, a national strike is now called for April 6, after Holy Week 2026. Previously, Estévez had denounced that since Morena came to power, state and municipal police officers have set up checkpoints to extort transporters. In his most recent video, he specified: "Insecurity continues as much as ever, corruption continues as much as ever. They have not removed the checkpoints that have done you so much harm, comrade, you arrive at those places and instead of giving you security, the certainty that you work well, they start to go through your papers to extort you." Peasants and transporters threaten mobilizations during the 2026 World Cup. Previously, the National Front for the Rescue of the Mexican Countryside (FNRCM) and the National Transporters Association (ANTAC) informed that they will carry out protests during the dates of the 2026 World Cup, as some matches will be in Mexico City. And they explained that the objective of the demonstrations is to make visible to thousands of national and foreign tourists the situation that the Mexican countryside and transporters are going through. As part of their demands, transporters have requested that there be no limits between the states of the Republic in police investigations, so that chases are more effective; they have also requested a specialized C5 for cargo transport, to monitor routes 24/7, as well as the use of drones to facilitate the location of criminals.