US to reopen Arizona, New Mexico ports for Mexican cattle

The United States will begin reopening livestock ports along its border with Mexico next month, ending a more than year-long suspension of cattle imports that was imposed to prevent the spread of a destructive parasite. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on July 24 that the phased reopening will start at the port of entry in Douglas, Arizona, on August 24, with additional ports in Santa Teresa and Columbus, New Mexico, expected to resume operations later.

The import ban was first implemented in May 2025 after concerns grew over the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite whose larvae infest open wounds on livestock and can cause fatal infections. Despite the border closure, the parasite was detected in the United States in early June 2026, with 42 confirmed cases reported since then. Officials stated the nearest active case to the Arizona border is approximately 325 miles away.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins described the original closure as a difficult but necessary action to protect the American livestock industry. The United States had successfully eradicated the screwworm in 1966 and contained a localized re-emergence in Florida in 2017. The USDA...