LUBBOCK — The U.S. will resume importing a limited amount of cattle from Mexico, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday. The decision comes as a flesh-eating parasite outbreak continues.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said it is a coordinated reopening of the port in Douglas, Arizona, that will occur in phases beginning Aug. 24. It is also contingent on Mexico adhering to a joint action plan between the countries in response to the New World screwworm.

Rollins said the closure was previously necessary to protect the livestock industry. As of Friday, there has been 42 cases in the U.S., all but one of which has been reported in Texas.

“The closure of the Southern ports of entry for the last year has been a tough but necessary action to control the spread of the NWS in Mexico,” Rollins said. “Thanks to the work of 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 year old movement of cattle.”

According to the USDA, Sonora and Chihuahua have a strong animal health infrastructure program and are considered the lowest-risk Mexican states for the screwworm. The U.S. will be working with them on the reopening.

In a statement, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller thanked Rollins for responding to his call to reopen the U.S.-Mexico border to import cattle. Miller said he is still concerned about the New World screwworm, but the decision should have been made sooner.

“Resuming cattle importation from Mexico is the right move for ranchers and American consumers,” Miller said. “The prolonged closure has already taken a toll on producers, disrupted supply chains, and created uncertainty that could have lasting consequences for the cattle industry.”

In the same statement, Miller also criticized the USDA’s response to the screwworm, saying it hasn’t gone far enough. Miller said producers have paid the price as a result.

“The USDA has spent more than a year reacting instead of getting ahead of the problem,” Miller said. “We cannot afford to rely on half-measures when billions of dollars in livestock production are on the line.”

The USDA closed all southern ports of entry to livestock imports from Mexico in May 2025, and they have remained closed since then. This has prevented cattle from being legally imported into the U.S. from Mexico.

Colleen DeGuzman contributed to this story.