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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The Douglas Port of Entry, closed since May 2025 over New World screwworm concerns, is set to reopen at the end of August, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced Wednesday during a visit to southern Arizona.
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The port’s reopening will allow the transfer of cattle from Mexico to the United States to resume after more than a year of closure.
Rollins said the reopening will follow a structured process, not an immediate resumption of large-scale cattle movement.
“This is not just opening the gates, and thousands of cattle just begin to move in. This is a very, very intentional and diligent effort that we are under,” Rollins said.
Under the plan, cattle will receive an anti-parasitic medication and be inspected by an accredited veterinarian. Rollins said those checks will occur multiple times before and after cattle cross the international border in Douglas. Any lot that tests positive for screwworm will be rejected in its entirety.
Rollins cited high success in limiting screwworm cases in Texas and the approach of cooler fall temperatures — which reduce fly activity — as factors in the decision to reopen.
“If that screwworm fly keeps getting closer and closer and closer, we will very quickly close it down if we think there is any danger to our livestock on this side of the border,” Rollins said.
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Fourth-generation rancher John Ladd, who owns land near Arizona’s southern border, said he has dealt with screwworms since childhood and understands the threat they pose to cattle.
“That’s a big thing for me; my concern is how am I gonna check all my cattle every day?” Ladd said.
Despite those concerns, Ladd said the reopening is necessary.
“The lean beef that is coming out of Mexico has affected the beef price, especially for hamburgers. And the Douglas economy strongly depends on the cattle crossing,” Ladd said.
Rollins also announced that the USDA plans to fund the construction and opening of a sterile fly distribution center in Douglas, similar to an existing facility in Texas, as an additional measure to protect Arizona from the new world screwworm.
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