Members of the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) and residents of the Maclovio Rojas settlement shut down both lanes of the free Tijuana-Tecate highway on the morning of June 18, stranding dozens of trucks, buses, and private vehicles near Plaza Baja 100 in the Ojo de Agua area.
The blockade began at 8:30 a.m. Protest organizers initially estimated it would last three to four hours. Drivers caught in the backup either turned around toward Tecate or crossed the highway median to search for alternate routes.
Second Joint Protest in a Week
The action marked the second time in seven days that the two groups joined forces to block a major transportation corridor. On June 11, they shut down the Otay border crossing in a similar protest that snarled cross-border traffic for hours.
The CNTE, Mexico’s dissident teachers’ union, is pressing the federal government on several demands: pension reform, back pay for substitute teachers, and the elimination of the USICAM teacher certification process. The Maclovio Rojas community has its own long-running grievance. Residents have sought land regularization for more than 30 years in a dispute with Ejido Francisco Villa over ownership of the parcels where thousands of families live on the eastern outskirts of Tijuana.
Federal Meeting Ends the Blockade
By 1 p.m., the protest was over. CNTE state coordinator Marco Antonio Pacheco emerged from a meeting with federal Education Secretary Mario Delgado in Mexico City and announced that officials had made commitments to resolve the union’s outstanding issues. Pacheco declared the day’s demonstrations concluded.
The free Tijuana-Tecate highway is the only toll-free route connecting the two border cities. It runs through the Maclovio Rojas area roughly 25 kilometers east of downtown Tijuana and serves as a key corridor for commercial transport and commuters who want to avoid the toll road.
The CNTE has been escalating protest actions in Baja California throughout 2026. In March, the union organized a 72-hour strike that included intermittent blockades at the San Ysidro port of entry and toll booth takeovers on the Tijuana-Tecate toll road and the Playas de Tijuana highway. Pacheco said at the time that between 2,000 and 3,000 teachers and public sector workers participated in those actions.
No timeline has been given for the next round of protests if federal commitments are not met. The story was first reported by Punto Norte and confirmed by Blanco y Negro Noticias and San Diego Red.