By Mark Vargas, Newsmax Columnist & Editor-in-Chief, Illinois Review
U.S. Secretary Rollins is scheduled to meet with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday. Officially, the meeting is about “cooperation” and the “imminent reopening” of the U.S.-Mexico cattle border following a parasite outbreak that halted cattle imports from our southern neighbor.
Unofficially, it’s about far more – a battle over control, corruption, and credibility in a cattle industry increasingly dominated by cartels and concealed by government spin.
Behind the optimistic rhetoric lies a disturbing truth: Mexico’s cattle industry is now deeply entangled with cartel power. Organized crime has infiltrated nearly every part of the supply chain – from ranches and feedlots to transport, inspection, and export.
For the cartels, cattle are the perfect cover: legal, high-value, and easy to move. Beef has become the new narcotic, a money-laundering machine wrapped in a government seal of approval.
In many states, ranchers pay protection money just to keep their herds safe. Those who refuse are silenced – sometimes permanently.
At the same time, those same ranchers are battling a quiet but deadly biological threat: Cochliomyia hominivorax, the New World screwworm. Eradicated from the United States decades ago, the screwworm has resurfaced in Mexico, eating into the health of herds and threatening the safety of cross-border livestock trade. Left unchecked, this parasite could devastate American ranches and drive up beef prices across the U.S.
Yet instead of confronting the crisis, Mexico’s government has chosen denial. Officials are publicly boasting that the reopening of the border for live cattle is imminent – while internal reports, known as “the worm,” tell a different story.
This is why it’s not only wise – but necessary – for the United States to keep the border closed for now. Reopening it prematurely would reward corruption, empower cartels, and risk importing both diseased cattle and criminal influence into our markets.
Washington must put maximum pressure on Mexico to clean up its cattle sector, enforce veterinary standards, and root out cartel control before any reopening is even considered.
For too long, U.S. officials have treated this as a technical issue. It’s not. It’s a cartel issue — one that affects trade, food safety, and national security. The health of U.S. herds, the integrity of our food supply, and the safety of rural communities depend on strength, not symbolism.
Until Mexico proves it can separate beef from blood money – and worms from whitewash – the border should stay closed.
