New Screwworm Alert Freezes Dog Travel to Mexico

Mexico – Mexico pet travel has been thrown into sudden uncertainty after the U.S. Department of Agriculture halted exports of several live animal species to Mexico, including pet dogs, following confirmed detections of New World screwworm in the United States.

The restriction appears on USDA APHIS’s official live animal export requirements page for Mexico, which was updated June 8, 2026. The notice states that, due to the detection of New World screwworm in the United States, exports of certain species from all U.S. states to Mexico are halted “effective immediately” until further information is received from Mexico. The affected list includes cattle, wild ruminants, horses, sheep and goats, pet dogs, reproductive swine, ferrets, and certain birds.

For travelers, the most important point is this: pet dogs cannot currently be exported from the United States to Mexico under the normal USDA process. That means anyone planning to drive or fly from the U.S. into Mexico with a dog should pause those plans and check directly with USDA APHIS before attempting travel.

The move follows the USDA’s confirmation of New World screwworm in Texas. On June 3, APHIS confirmed a case in a calf in Zavala County, Texas. The agency describes New World screwworm as a serious pest that affects livestock, pets, wildlife, and, less commonly, people and birds. The larvae burrow into the flesh of living animals, causing severe tissue damage and major economic risk to livestock industries.

USDA and Texas officials have launched a containment response that includes a unified incident command team, a 20-kilometer infested zone, quarantines, movement controls, surveillance, trapping, wildlife management, and targeted release of sterile flies. USDA said it is also increasing surveillance along the border and working with partners in Mexico and Central America.

This is not a food safety issue. USDA has stated that screwworms do not infest meat, fruits, vegetables, or other food sources, and that the U.S. food supply remains safe. The concern is animal movement, especially warm-blooded animals that could carry or be exposed to the pest.

For pet owners, the situation is especially frustrating because Mexico’s regular entry rules for dogs and cats have been relatively simple in recent years. Since 2019, Mexico has not required a health certificate for dogs and cats entering from the U.S.; animals are normally inspected by SENASICA on arrival. That regular guidance is now complicated by the emergency export halt for pet dogs.

It is worth noting that the current APHIS export halt specifically lists pet dogs, but does not clearly list pet cats in the screwworm notice. Travelers with any warm-blooded pet should still confirm directly with APHIS and Mexican authorities before making plans, because rules may change quickly as both countries coordinate protocols.

Anyone with immediate travel questions should contact the USDA APHIS Customer Service Center at 844-820-2234, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For now, the safest advice is simple: do not assume you can cross into Mexico with a dog until APHIS updates the advisory or provides case-specific guidance.