Border cattle crossing shutdown drags on more than a year, Santa Teresa economy and livestock industry struggling to stay afloat

SANTA TERESA, New Mexico (KVIA) -- More than a year after concerns over the New World screwworm prompted the shutdown of livestock crossings along the southern border, some business owners in Santa Teresa are on the brink of closing down.

The first recent closure of the livestock crossings came in late 2024, followed by a full shutdown in 2025 which remains in effect.

“It’s been devastating to our cattle import industry and devastating to our livestock crossing here in Santa Teresa,” Border Industrial Association President Jerry Pacheco said.

Daniel Manzanares, director of the International Import/Export Livestock Facility in Santa Teresa, said a preliminary closure began Nov. 26, 2024, when federal officials halted crossings out of caution as officials worked to contain the spread of the New World screwworm, a parasitic fly that poses a serious threat to livestock.

“At 1 p.m., I got the call,” Manzanares said. “We had 8,300 more head to cross. It didn’t happen.”

Manzanares said the facility remained closed until late February 2025, then reopened for only a short period before being shut down again on May 12, 2025. Since then, the crossing has remained closed to imports.

He said the economic contrast has been stark.

“We crossed about $1.4 million worth of commerce, as opposed to over $1 billion worth of commerce that we crossed in 2024,” Manzanares said.

Pacheco said most cases have been concentrated near the Mexico-Guatemala border, but there were also some cases in northern Mexico, and a human case was also reported.

Federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are working with local officials and congressional leaders to address the outbreak. A newly-opened laboratory in Edinburg, Texas is producing sterile flies to try and stop screwworm reproduction.

“If you talk to the cattle industry, they think they can control it and monitor it, and that shouldn’t be a reason why we continue not to have active import-export livestock yards here on the border,” Pacheco said.

The prolonged shutdown has dealt a severe blow to the Santa Teresa crossing, which was projected to handle roughly half a billion dollars in trade and about 600,000 head of cattle last year, according to Pacheco.

“They’re down to just a handful of employees,” Pacheco said. “I think there are five employees still employed at the cattle crossing, which is devastating.”

The impact extends beyond the facility itself. Ranchers and cattle traders who once traveled regularly through Santa Teresa are no longer contributing to the local economy, affecting restaurants, retailers and other businesses.

“If they’re not making money, how can they spend that money?” Pacheco said.

Manzanares said the shutdown has also devastated ranchers and feed yards that depend on the cattle trade. He said the damage has reached deep into Texas, where many of the animals crossing through Santa Teresa would typically be sent to grow yards.

“It’s pretty devastating, the effects of what it’s done to the industry, not just Mexican businesses, but American businesses,” Manzanares said. “It has put so many people out of business.”

He said some people have had to sell homes, trucks and businesses, while longstanding grow yards have shut down under the strain.

“Grow yards that have been in operation for 70, 80 years, it’s rough,” Manzanares said.

The shutdown has also taken a personal toll on workers at the Santa Teresa facility. Manzanares said he kept employees on as long as he could before having to lay off the last 10 workers because of the lack of business.

“These are all good guys. We’re a family,” Manzanares said.

He recalled one of the laid-off workers knocking on a conference room door shortly after losing his job to thank him. Manzanares said a contractor working on the border fence overheard the exchange and offered to hire the man on the spot, then ended up hiring the rest of the workers as well.

“I was so grateful for that,” Manzanares said. “Everybody has bills, everybody has families.”

Even with the import side closed, Manzanares said the facility has continued a small amount of export work involving animals being shipped into Mexico. But he said that business is only a fraction of normal activity.

Pacheco said some industry leaders are also frustrated with the U.S. decision to allow cattle imports from countries like Argentina while maintaining restrictions along the southern border.

“There’s a lot of anger,” Pacheco said. “Here we are, neighbors and friends with Mexico, and we’re prohibiting any kind of cattle imports.”

Looking ahead, Pacheco warned the industry may not fully recover even if crossings reopen.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of cattlemen not go back into the industry because they probably lost a lot of money,” Pacheco said. “It’s not like you can just flip a switch.”

There are also concerns that the Santa Teresa facility itself may not survive long-term.

“There’s even a question of whether he will be there,” Pacheco said, referring to the facility’s management. “You can’t continue to staff a facility if you don’t have revenue coming through.”