Agricultural producers from the Valle de Mexicali blocked the highway connecting Mexicali to San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, on Monday morning as part of a nationwide farmers’ strike. The blockade began around 10 a.m. near Ejido Hermosillo, shutting down the only road linking Baja California to mainland Mexico through Sonora.
Horacio Gómez, president of the State Council of Wheat Producers in Mexicali, was present at the scene. The protest was organized under the banner of the Frente Nacional por el Rescate del Campo Mexicano (FNRCM), or National Front for the Rescue of Mexican Agriculture. Gómez has called for the Mexican government to establish measures preventing foreign companies from setting prices paid to local farmers.
Demands Include Fair Prices and Water Solutions
The farmers’ demands center on fair crop prices, government agricultural support, and solutions to water supply problems in the region. Producers also cited high production costs and disadvantages against international markets as key grievances. A caravan of tractors and vehicles rolled through the valley before converging on the highway to form the blockade.
According to La Jornada, the protesters warned that the blockade will continue indefinitely until the federal government responds. Gómez criticized the Secretaría de Gobernación (Interior Ministry) for its position that farmers have no reason to protest.
Part of a Nationwide Agricultural Shutdown
The Mexicali blockade is one piece of a coordinated national strike on April 6. Truck drivers and farmers blocked highways in at least ten states, including Morelos, Zacatecas, Tlaxcala, the State of Mexico, Veracruz, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Tamaulipas, and Chihuahua. In Sinaloa, protesters took over toll booths and let vehicles pass without paying. In Tamaulipas, farmers blocked the Reynosa to Matamoros highway and Federal Highway 101.
This is not the first time Valle de Mexicali farmers have shut down this route. In October 2025, producers blocked the same highway over crop pricing. A similar blockade occurred in November 2025 in opposition to proposed reforms to the General Water Law.
What Travelers Need to Know
The Mexicali to San Luis Río Colorado highway is the primary land route between Baja California and Sonora. Anyone planning to drive between the two states, or crossing the border at San Luis, should expect significant delays or full closure. There is no confirmed alternate route that bypasses the blockade at Ejido Hermosillo. Protesters have indicated they will remain in place until the government negotiates.
This story was first reported by Semanario Zeta.