Public officials and labor leaders joined Teamsters and others in a rally March 2 to protest the likelihood that thousands of unsafe Mexican trucks will soon be driving U.S. roads.

Until recently, Mexican trucks were not allowed beyond a 20-mile zone along the border because of concerns about driver and vehicle safety. But on Feb. 6, a trade panel ruled the limit violates the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The March 2 rally, held at the Teamsters Local 120 headquarters in St. Paul, called attention to the issue and was a sendoff for truckers participating in a caravan down Interstate 35. On March 3, the truckers will join others in Kansas City, then continue to Dallas for a huge rally March 5.

Nearly four out of every 10 trucks carrying Mexican cargo into the United States use I-35, which extends from Laredo, Texas, to Minnesota, the Teamsters said. Of the 1 percent of trucks currently inspected at the border, nearly half are turned away because of serious safety problems, according to government data.

"We're talking about the safety of your families and the people up and down Highway 35," said Dick Heck, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Joint Council 32. "We're talking about jobs."

U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, Congressman Martin Sabo and other speakers said trade laws should not be used to drive down safety standards.

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bernard Brommer challenged the proponents of free trade to explain their silence on the safety issue. Where, he asked, are the University of Minnesota professors and other academics who said NAFTA would benefit citizens on both sides of the border? "Silent - nowhere to be found," he noted.