U.S. Reopens Mexican Cattle Imports as Screwworm Response Shows Promising Results

U.S. Reopens Mexican Cattle Imports as Screwworm Response Shows Promising Results

Legal Insurrection has been following the struggle to control the New World Screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax), a flesh-eating parasitic fly whose larvae infest open wounds of warm-blooded animals, including livestock, wildlife, pets, and occasionally humans, causing severe tissue damage and often death if left untreated. The pest appears to be infesting Mexico and heading north.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to use high-tech, sterile flies to contain and control pests. At the time of my last report in June, there were 5 infestations reported in Texas.

After one month, 42 cases of screwworm have been reported, with the vast majority occurring in Texas.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed 42 New World screwworm infestations, including 41 in Texas and one in New Mexico, as federal and state officials continue working to contain the flesh-eating parasite.

The newest infestation was confirmed in goats in Sutton County. Another recent case involved a sheep in neighboring Schleicher County.

The outbreak has also reached the Rio Grande Valley. A case confirmed in a calf in western Starr County was the region’s first detection.

Part of Starr County was already under an active quarantine because of an earlier detection in neighboring Jim Hogg County, requiring livestock inspections before certain animals can be moved.

The USDA and local officials appear to have a good handle on the situation, rapidly identifying and treating cases.

🇺🇸 USDA, alongside our state and local partners, continues to make strong progress in responding to the New World screwworm.

Since July 1:
📉 Just 11 new confirmed cases have been reported, down from 31 in June.
🐄 Only 42 total confirmed cases have been identified since the… pic.twitter.com/OoDk9avwDE

— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) July 27, 2026

The encouraging results may be part of why U.S. officials approved the resumption of cattle imports from Mexico, which has been battling this pest for the past 2 years.

In a statement, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the reopening of cattle imports from Mexico will begin at the Douglas, Arizona border crossing, which borders Agua Prieta in Mexico’s Sonora state.

The statement said the necessary steps will be taken for the subsequent reopening of the Santa Teresa and Columbus border crossings in New Mexico, without specifying dates.

Despite the ban, the screwworm was detected last month in Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where more than 30 cases have been reported to date.

In Mexico, the screwworm outbreak was detected in November 2024 and has spread to 29 of the country’s 32 states. Currently, there are 1,792 active cases, according to official figures.

The U.S. announced it will begin reopening the border to Mexican cattle imports on Aug. 24, more than a year after it imposed the measure due to the spread of the New World screwworm in Mexico. https://t.co/L8CEfWlHDT

— ABC News (@ABC) July 25, 2026

There is even more good news! The new screwworm-fighting facility in South Texas will be opening next spring, months ahead of schedule.

The facility, which will produce sterile flies that help stop the spread of the parasitic fly, had been slated to begin operation in November 2027. But Rollins said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was in the process of expediting its construction schedule on the $750 million facility.

“We are finalizing it,” she said on Sunday. “Today I’ve been on calls about it, moving to a 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week build where we can have it ready by next spring.”

The Trump administration hopes ramping up sterile fly production can further control the outbreak, which has moved steadily up through Central America and Mexico before crossing into the United States last month. So far, the USDA has confirmed 42 cases in the United States, almost entirely in Texas.

The facility on Moore Air Base in South Texas is expected to eventually produce 300 million sterile flies a week, more than doubling the capacity of existing facilities in Mexico and Panama.

Texas sterile fly facility ahead of schedule amid screwworm fight, USDA says https://t.co/rx9q4eCGG8

— San Antonio Express-News (@ExpressNews) July 27, 2026

Meanwhile, a Florida man is under arrest for trying to evade the current import restrictions.

The Florida’s Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE) announced the arrest of Roger Rodriguez Vega, of Maitland, Florida, on the following charges:

• 24 counts of Unlawful Entry of Animals into the State
• One count of Resisting an Officer Without Violence

Officials said that Rodriguez Vega arrived at the Pensacola Agricultural Inspection Station hauling 24 sheep and goats originating from Texas.

Man accused of violating Florida livestock rules to prevent screwworm spread https://t.co/Pq3eun27JI pic.twitter.com/CtdXEjwLzg

— WFTV Channel 9 (@WFTV) July 27, 2026

The rapid containment effort shows what competent coordination and proven science can achieve when officials treat a biosecurity threat with the right blend of urgency and sensible strategies grounded in real risk assessments.

Still, reopening cattle imports while Mexico is dealing with infestations is a calculated risk that will require continued surveillance and enforcement.

If the accelerated sterile fly program delivers as promised, the U.S. has a real shot at quickly swatting away the threat of a significant spread of the New World screwworm.

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