A pilot program intended to eventually open United States highways to Mexican trucks is under fire by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The Teamsters rallied in San Diego on Wednesday morning to express their opposition to the plan, which they say is more than just a safety issue:

Tom Keegel is the Teamsters General Secretary Treasurer:

[Keegel]: "Mexican drivers don’t have to live up to the same standards that the drivers in the United States have to. It’s a safety issue, it’s an environmental issue. It’s an issue that could be a terrorist issue. Our drivers have to have a commercial drivers license, they have to have random drug testing, standardized hours; none of that applies to Mexican drivers."

On Monday the Teamsters joined the safety group "Public Citizen" in filing a brief in the 9th District Court of Appeals alleging that the Bush administration “broke the laws in dozens of ways” by allowing the Mexican trucks access to US highways.

[Keegel]: "It’s a sham and we want to expose it for what it is and let the American people know that we're going to fight hard to make sure our highways are safe."