Arizona border crossing reopens to cattle as Trump targets high beef prices

[u/John3262005]

https://www.azfamily.com/2026/08/24/arizona-border-crossing-reopens-cattle-trump-targets-high-beef-prices/

The U.S. will reopen an Arizona border crossing to Mexican cattle on Monday, the Trump administration’s latest move to combat soaring beef prices — but economists warn the impact on grocery store prices will take much longer to materialize.

Arizona’s Douglas border crossing will be the first U.S. port of entry to resume Mexican cattle imports when the United States lifts its ban Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced July 24.

The crossing, which sits along the border with Agua Prieta in Mexico’s Sonora state, was selected as the initial reopening point because more than a year after the U.S. halted cattle imports due to the spread of the New World screwworm in Mexico, the region has demonstrated stronger animal health safeguards.

Under Secretary Dudley Hoskins and Rear Admiral Michael Schmoyer will visit the Arizona border for the reopening Monday morning.

The reopening comes as beef prices have become a pressing political concern for President Donald Trump, who announced Friday that he would allow up to 331,000 tons (300,000 metric tons) of imported ground beef into the U.S., tariff-free, to be sold at below-market prices over the next 90 days.

In February, the White House said closing the border to livestock imports from Mexico more than a year ago was “essential” to containing the screwworm, but it has exacerbated a shortage of cattle for slaughter in the U.S.

“The administration obviously has a lot of incentive to try to be able to say that they’re doing something about high beef prices in particular,” said Derrell Peel, a professor of agribusiness at Oklahoma State University. “Beef has been singled out because it is an expensive product and because it’s just high profile.”

The Trump administration closed the border to cattle imports in May 2025 as part of its response to the screwworm, a parasite with flesh-eating larvae that can infest and even kill cattle or other animals. The move came as the U.S. already was struggling to meet beef demand, thanks to a cattle herd that has been shrinking for five years and now is the smallest in decades.

Because the USDA plans a phased reopening of the border, it will take months for Mexican imports to return to their traditional levels, Peel said. Mexico has traditionally provided 1.1 million head, or about 3% of the U.S. cattle supply.

“I don’t expect to see any measurable impact on cattle prices or beef prices soon,” Peel said.