The USDA confirmed that the Columbus, New Mexico, crossing will reopen on Oct. 26 as the third port for importing Mexican cattle, as part of a phased reopening. Since August, 39,600 head had crossed through Oct. 16.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that the Columbus, New Mexico, border crossing will reopen on Oct. 26 as the third port enabled for imports of Mexican cattle, within a phased reopening framework.
The decision comes after the first cattle crossing reopened on Aug. 24 in Douglas, Arizona, and the second — the largest port of entry — on Sept. 24 in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Columbus had already been designated by the USDA as next on the list, but until now it had no official date.
According to early industry projections, trade is expected to begin with about 750 head per day under strict phased quotas. Through Oct. 16, 39,600 head had crossed since the ports reopened: about 28,800 through Douglas and 10,800 through Santa Teresa. The USDA also indicated on social media platform X that horse imports are expected to resume in Santa Teresa on Oct. 26.
The port of Nogales, Arizona, will reopen to cattle on Nov. 30, if conditions continue to support safe trade and the required inspection arrangements and infrastructure are in place.
The Columbus reopening is moving forward despite last week's confirmation of two new cases of New World screwworm infestation in southwestern New Mexico. The new infestations afflicted a calf and a horse in Grant County, which borders Luna County, where Columbus is located. Since last month, the pest has been found in three domesticated animals in Grant County.
At the same time, the USDA announced on Wednesday the first case of New World screwworm in U.S. wildlife, detected in an elk in Texas. The animal was located on a game ranch in Pecos County and was reported after being harvested by a hunter, according to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The detection prompted additional wildlife surveillance in the area by the USDA and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; in addition, the Texas Animal Health Commission will modify a previously established infested zone.
The finding raises new questions about whether the flesh-eating parasite is spreading beyond livestock. Cattle had already been infected earlier this year in Texas and New Mexico, prompting an extensive federal response to contain its spread; the detection in a wild animal adds another challenge for officials trying to determine how widely the parasite has spread.
Meanwhile, contractor Mortenson and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) remain on course with the accelerated construction of a $610 million facility aimed at keeping flesh-eating parasites off U.S. soil. Mortenson is building the USDA's Domestic New World Screwworm Sterile Insect Production Facility at Moore Airbase in Edinburg, Texas. In an update issued this week, USACE said the facility remains "on schedule to support the accelerated timeline to reach initial operating capability in April 2027."
