A convoy of trucks will leave from St. Paul, Minn., today in a Teamsters protest against the Bush administration's plan to open the border to Mexican trucks.

President Bush said he would do so after an arbitration panel ruled that the United States must adhere to the provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement allowing Mexican trucks into the U.S. beyond the limited commercial zone or face sanctions. The Teamsters union is widely considered to have influenced the Clinton administration's decision to keep the border closed.
The convoy will drive down I-35. "Allowing unsafe trucks onto U.S. highways could make Interstate 35 - which extends from Laredo, Texas, on the Mexican border to Minnesota - one of the deadliest highways in our nation," the union said in announcing the convoy.
The convoy will start with a rally today at 10 a.m. in St. Paul at the Teamsters Local Union 120. Another rally will be held at the end of the convoy in Dallas at 1 p.m. Monday, March 5, at the Teamsters Local 41 A third rally will be held in Kansas City, Mo., at the midway point at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 3, at the Teamsters Southern Region Meeting at the Sheraton Grand Hotel.