Marchers block Mexico-US border

Three border crossings from Juarez to El Paso were blocked by protesters Tuesday afternoon.

The protesters were demanding that Mexican soldiers leave their cities.

Traffic to the Bridge of the Americas was blocked by protesters from 12:40 to 3 p.m., and the Traffic to the Santa Fe Street Bridge was blocked from 2:15 to 3 p.m., according to Roger Maier, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman. The crossing in Fabens was also closed for a time. Traffic is now flowing smoothly at all the bridges.

"We were open (on the U.S. side) the whole time," Maier said. "There was just no traffic to process because it was stopped in Mexico."

Hundreds of people blocked the international bridges to the U.S. to protest alleged army raids and arrests.

Officials said the protests happened in three cities: Ciudad Juarez; Nuevo Laredo across from Laredo, Texas; and Reynosa, across from McAllen, Texas.

Many of the protesters were holding signs demanding the army leave. Many were masked men, but some were women and children.

The army has blamed previous protests on drug cartels, which they say are trying to disrupt the government's anti-drug crackdown.

About 30 people, mostly women and children, blocked the Paso del Norte bridge leading from Ciudad Juarez to downtown El Paso. They shouted "soldiers, get out!" as they stood in front of about 20 troops in green army pickup trucks. One person held a sign reading, "Get out of Juarez, thieving abusive soldiers."