by: Jonathan Benson
(NaturalNews) Beginning this week, Mexican truckers will officially be allowed to bypass border inspections and drive directly into the US to deliver their goods. The pilot program not only complies with provisions set forth in the North American Free Trade Agreement of 1994, but it also ratchets up another notch towards a North American Union (NAU), where borders among the US, Mexico, and Canada are virtually eliminated.For years, public outcry and concern by some politicians over its sweeping implications have prevented the new trucking policy from being implemented. After all, drug trafficking, illegal entry by Mexican immigrants, and even violent standoffs at the border are already problematic under the current system, which requires that Mexican truckers transfer their goods to US truckers at the border.
But under the new system, Mexican truckers will be permitted to freely cross the border and drive deep into America's heartland. For the inaugural event, Mexican trucking company Transportes Olympic will cross over the US border at Laredo, Tex., on Wed., Oct. 26, where it will travel 450 miles north to Garland, Tex., to deliver industrial equipment.
According to the Associated Press (AP), US Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-San Diego) and Bob Filner (D-San Diego) have expressed bipartisan opposition to the plan, which not only threatens thousands of American jobs, but also opens wide the floodgates of open entry into the US.
"There's absolutely no upside to the program," said Joe Kasper, a spokesman for Rep. Hunter's office, to the AP. "It's a good example of foreign interests overtaking American interests, at the expense of jobs, security and safety. The program was a bad idea when it was created under NAFTA and it's a bad idea now. It should be stopped right away."
Todd Spencer, owner-operator of the Independent Drivers Association (IDA), an international trade organization that promotes the interests of truck drivers, shares a similar sentiment. Spencer told the AP that "the beneficiaries of opening border (sic) will be few and the casualties will be plenty."
All Mexican trucks participating in the program will be required to have electronic monitoring devices installed, and their drivers will have to submit to criminal background checks and be able to speak English. But in reality, these protocols will do little to nothing to prevent the wave of new criminal activity that is sure to arise.