Live cattle imports temporarily paused again after recent U.S.-Mexico border reopening

KJZZ | By Nina Kravinsky

Published September 2, 2026 at 10:39 AM CDT

Cattle cross the border into Douglas, Arizona, for the first time in more than a year as the United States lifts its ban on livestock imports from Mexico.

The state of Sonora's cattle ranchers' union says the newly opened crossing point for livestock exported into Arizona has once again temporarily closed.

Sonora's ranchers' union president, Juan Ochoa Valenzuela, said his organization is working to fix an equipment issue on the Mexican side of the border — and is halting cattle exports until it's resolved.

"This is a strictly technical problem," Ochoa Valenzula said. He expects the border to reopen within three days.

The temporary closure comes after last week's reopening of the border crossing point for cattle in Douglas, Arizona — the first to reopen along the whole U.S.-Mexico border. The border had been shut to live cattle imports since last year to protect against the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that has been spreading in Mexico and reached Texas earlier this summer.

The Mexican state of Sonora, south of Arizona, where the first cattle are being imported from, reached a total of 20 cases after registering its first two weeks ago.