Early in March 1929, the Escobarista Rebellion exploded in Nogales, sponsored by Obregonistas, supporters of President Álvaro Obregón, who had been assassinated on July 17, 1928.

General Manuel Aguirre, commanding the rebellious 64th Regiment, took power without firing a shot, causing federales from Naco to send a daily airplane to attack the rebels.

That same month, a hooded man appeared at night driving a tank on Morley Street on the U.S. side, then entered Mexico to help the federales in Naco.

[4] The body of Cecilia Yépiz Reyna, former Secretary of Urban Development and Ecology, was found in a shallow grave near the border on March 6, 2021, after a three-month search.

[5] On 5 January 2021, civil engineer Cecilia Yépiz Reyna, former secretary of Infrastructure, Urban Development and Ecology of the City of Nogales, disappeared.

However, now downtown Nogales has forgotten those activities, due to two main causes: the recent violence in Mexico, and the barriers imposed by the US Government after September 11, 2001.

Nogales' proximity to the U.S. and the abundance of inexpensive labor make it an efficient location for foreign companies to have manufacturing and assembly operations.

Some of the companies that have established maquiladoras in Nogales include: Otis Elevator, The Chamberlain Group, Walbro, and Philips Avent.