LOS ANGELES (KNX) — A massive trucker convoy in Canada has already affected the United States’ auto industry, but it might not stop there. Thursday the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned that a group of truckers against COVID-19 vaccine mandates could be headed to Los Angeles by as soon as this weekend.
The agency said it “has received reports of truck drivers planning to potentially block roads in major metropolitan cities in the U.S. in protest of, among other things, vaccine mandates for truck drivers,” according to a DHS statement obtained by CNN.
Yahoo News broke the story Wednesday, with an exclusive report about the potential for severe disruptions to transportation and law enforcement operations.
The group is believed to be traveling to California this month, picking up additional protestors as it makes its way to Washington, D.C. for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address on March 1.
Robert McDonald, a former Secret Service agent and criminal justice professor at the University of New Haven, joined KNX In Depth to discuss how he thinks Super Bowl weekend will play out due to the potential threat.
“Planning for [the Super Bowl] has been going on for several months…so the nice part is you’re going to have a very large infrastructure of security in place already, as opposed to the truckers just coming to the L.A. area without [the Super Bowl] going on,” McDonald said.
What's likely happening ahead of any movement, McDonald said, is that DHS officials are reaching out to truckers' unions in hopes of preventing the protest convoy.
"To, you know, maybe begin some discussions and say hey, 'how can we all work together to allow you to get your message out and to be seen and heard?' without totally shutting down our Super Bowl," McDonald said.
"My guess is that they're looking to start some dialogue, find some areas where the truckers can set up their protest or perhaps give up a certain road or two to let them shut down and get their message out."
Ahead of the Super Bowl, DHS officials have already begun planning for additional staff to work at the Incident Command Post near SoFi Stadium, according to CBS News, in addition to the hundreds who have already been assigned as standard protocol for these events.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Related
