Is the US reopening its largest port to Mexican cattle imports?
Core argument: The US is reopening the Santa Teresa, New Mexico port to Mexican live cattle shipments; the port handled nearly 500,000 head in 2024, about 40% of total US cattle imports from Mexico.
The US is reopening its biggest port for Mexican live cattle shipments. The port in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, is the second to reopen, after the US in late 2024 stalled livestock shipments from Mexico in order to prevent the spread of the deadly New World screwworm. Nearly 500,000 cattle were shipped through the Santa Teresa port in 2024, amounting to about 40% of the US’s total imports from Mexico Concerns over the screwworm in the US have faded, with only two active cases remaining in Texas. Infestations of the parasite, which can be deadly if left untreated, have totaled less than 50 since its detection in the US in June. Still, there are nearly 2,000 active cases in Mexico. The US has been dispersing sterile male flies, which contain the disease by mating with wild female flies to curb reproduction.

