VIEW LARGER Police in Nogales, Sonora, remain on high alert following protests over high gasoline prices and the further devaluation of the Mexican peso, while investigators are looking into the possible connection between protesters and a runaway train at the port of entry yesterday.
The Telemax news bureau in Hermosillo, Sonora, reports that there have been at least 100 protests throughout Mexico. In just three days, gasoline prices have increased by 20 percent. That, coupled with the peso’s devaluation, is causing Mexico’s poor and middle class to take to the streets.
Protesters chanted, "It’s not the peso, it’s Peña Nieto," referring to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, whose approval rating has fallen to an all time low of just 19 percent.
In the past week, protesters in Nogales, Sonora, have forced Mexican officials at the border to close northbound traffic, cutting off visitors and business to the U.S.
Both north and southbound traffic have been restored. However, U.S. Customs officials have reported there is significantly less traffic going from the U.S. into Mexico.
And yesterday, a runaway train rolled into Nogales, Arizona, from the Mexican side, and passed the rail gate. Officials are investigating whether protesters commandeered the train and set it on autopilot. They have no word on the train crew.
In a statement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said: “The train was moving at a slow rate of speed, allowing officers to jump aboard the train and engage the emergency brake. No injuries were reported and structural damage was minimal.”
Nogales, Arizona, police are also on alert, and while officials say there is no immediate danger to those driving or walking across the border into Mexico, they are advising travel take place in the daytime.
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