US to reopen some Mexican border ports for cattle imports

The US Department of Agriculture said it will begin reopening cattle ports along the Mexican border next month, more than a year after imports were halted over concerns about New World screwworm.

President Donald Trump's administration announced in May 2025 that it was stopping imports of live cattle, horses and bison across the southern border because of an outbreak of the screwworm fly. The fly's flesh-eating larvae can kill cattle.

The USDA said the Douglas, Arizona, port of entry will reopen to cattle trade beginning on August 24. The department also said it will take steps to later reopen ports in Santa Teresa and Columbus, New Mexico.

According to the government statement, every animal entering the United States through the reopened ports will receive a full USDA inspection to check that it has no signs of New World screwworm.

The parasite has been present in Mexico for years and reappeared on US soil in early June. Official US data cited in the report recorded 42 cases since then. The USDA said the closest active case to the Arizona port was about 325 miles away and had been detected on Wednesday.

US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said closing the southern ports had been a difficult but necessary step to protect American livestock.

The United States eradicated New World screwworm in 1966 and eliminated a later resurgence in southern Florida in 2017.