U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced Tuesday, Oct. 20, the next steps in USDA’s phased reopening of the southern livestock ports. The Columbus, N.M., port will reopen to cattle trade on Oct. 26.
She also announced Santa Teresa, N.M., which opened to cattle on Sept. 24, will resume horse imports on Oct. 26. Horses will be quarantined at a USDA-approved facility on the U.S. side. Mexican-import quarantine facilities will remain closed.
The Nogales, Ariz., port will reopen on Nov. 30, if conditions continue to support safe trade and required inspection arrangements and infrastructure are in place.
Rollins stresses, “Protecting American livestock remains the priority.”
NEW: @SecRollins announced the next steps in @USDA’s phased reopening of southern livestock ports: 🐂 COLUMBUS, NM: Planned reopening to cattle on October 26. Every animal must undergo multiple inspections before entering the U.S. 🐎 SANTA TERESA, NM: Horse imports are planned to resume on October 26. Import quarantine must take place at the USDA-approved facility on the U.S. side. Mexican-side import quarantine facilities remain closed. 🐂 NOGALES, AZ: Planned reopening to cattle imports on November 30, if conditions continue to support safe trade and required inspection arrangements and infrastructure are in place. Protecting American livestock remains the priority.
— New World Screwworm Rapid Response (@Screwworm_RR) October 20, 2026
Crossing Volumes
The Columbus crossing is the third southern livestock port approved to reopen under USDA’s phased framework. Early industry projections expect trade to start at roughly 750 head per day under strict phased quotas.
Through Oct. 16, 39,600 head have crossed since the ports reopened to cattle trade. The breakdown by port according to USDA Agricultural Marketing Service:
Douglas, Ariz. (Reopened Aug. 24)
Cumulative Volume: Approximately 28,800 head.
Day 1 Volume: 692 head cleared (out of 716 to 719 presented; 24 rejected for minor cuts and scratches).
Operational Pace: Reached approximately 8,750 head by Sept. 16 and 12,800 head by Sept. 22. The port handled 3,850 head during the mid-October reporting week, averaging roughly 1,200 to 1,300 head per operating day.Santa Teresa, N.M. (Reopened Sept. 24)
Cumulative Volume: Approximately 10,800 head.
Day 1 Volume: 408 head cleared (out of 686 presented to inspection facilities; more than 200 head were rejected due to unhealed castration sites, dead ticks or minor lameness).
Operational Pace: Reached 1,100 head in its initial partial week, 1,650 head the following week, and 1,900 head in the week ending Oct. 7. Surged to 4,050 head in the week ending Oct. 16 (averaging approximately 1,000 to 1,150 head on full operating days), surpassing Douglas’s weekly volume for the first time as facilities hit their stride.
Historically, Mexico exports roughly 1.15 to 1.2 million cattle to the U.S. annually. Santa Teresa alone normally processes roughly 40% to 43% of all Mexican cattle imports (nearly 500,000 head/year), meaning current volumes represent a tightly regulated, gradual restart.
Screwworm Containment and Case Counts
In May 2025, USDA suspended live cattle, horse and bison imports from Mexico following the northward spread of the New World screwworm (NWS). Since June 3, 2026, USDA has received 1,000 suspect NWS case submissions nationwide, including 531 from Texas. USDA has confirmed just 56. Only five are still active.
Your Next Reads:
- Another Gate Opens: Santa Teresa, N.M., Livestock Port Resumes Trade
- Santa Teresa Livestock Port Set to Reopen Sept. 24
- The Gate Is Open: Mexican Feeder Cattle Return to U.S. Soil
- Inside Day One at Douglas: How USDA and Arizona Will Clear Cattle and Block Screwworm at the Border
- Douglas Port Set to Reopen Aug. 24: What Producers Need to Know
