The Douglas, Arizona, port of entry is scheduled to resume cattle trade Aug. 24 under a phased reopening that will require full USDA inspections and continued Mexican compliance with a joint eradication plan.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin gradually reopening the Southwest border to cattle imports from Mexico later this month as federal officials report progress containing the latest New World screwworm incursion.
The Douglas, Arizona, port of entry is scheduled to reopen for cattle trade on Aug. 24, 2026. USDA officials expect the Santa Teresa and Columbus crossings in New Mexico to follow as conditions permit.
The reopening will depend on Mexico continuing to follow the previously negotiated Joint Action Plan. Every animal entering through the Southwest border will receive a complete USDA inspection intended to prevent cattle carrying New World screwworm from entering the country.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins said the administration remains focused on eliminating the pest from Mexico and forcing it south toward the Darien Gap.
“Protecting the United States from NWS and pushing this pest out of Mexico and back to the Darien Gap is a top priority at USDA and has the full attention of the Trump Administration. The closure of the Southern ports of entry for the last year has been a tough but necessary action to control the spread of NWS in Mexico and protect the American livestock industry,” Rollins said.
The cattle crossings were closed for approximately one year as authorities worked to reduce the risk to American ranchers and livestock producers. Rollins credited cooperation among federal, state, local and industry officials for making the initial reopening possible.
“Thanks to the work across the federal government as well as state, local, and industry partners, it is now safe to reopen the Douglas, Arizona, port in 30 days to resume the hundreds-of-years-old movement of cattle,” she said.
USDA has recorded 44 New World screwworm detections since June 3, 2026, according to the agency’s New World screwworm dashboard.
The parasite was declared eradicated from the United States in 1966, though several limited outbreaks have occurred since then.
The current incursion was identified after larvae were found in the umbilical area of a 3-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, less than 50 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.
New World screwworm larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, creating wounds that can become severe or fatal if untreated.
Following the Texas detection, USDA expanded its use of sterile male flies, the same technique credited with helping eradicate the pest from the United States in 1966. Sterile males are released into affected areas to mate with wild females, preventing viable offspring and gradually reducing the population.
Seven cases remain active in the United States, according to USDA.
Although detections rose after the June 3 discovery, federal officials said aggressive containment measures have slowed the spread and prevented a dramatic surge in new cases.
More than 160 federal and state responders are participating in the effort in Texas and New Mexico. Thousands of additional personnel from government agencies, universities and agricultural organizations are involved in the broader eradication campaign.
USDA has established sterile-fly dispersal facilities in Texas and New Mexico and recently committed $25 million to construct another site in Arizona. The agency has also deployed thousands of monitoring traps along the Southwest border to track the pest and measure the effectiveness of eradication work.
The phased reopening is intended to restore the longstanding cattle trade with Mexico while maintaining safeguards for the domestic livestock industry.
No locally acquired human cases of New World screwworm have been reported in the United States during the current outbreak.
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