Washington, D.C. ­– U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s official opening of three auxiliary livestock inspection facilities at border ports in Arizona and New Mexico. Representatives from USDA, Arizona state government, and local communities are marking the opening of these facilities with a series of events in Nogales and Douglas today and tomorrow.

“Ranching is vitally important to the local economy along the Arizona-Mexico border,” said Senator John McCain. “I’m pleased that USDA reopened the Douglas cattle crossing earlier this year and has now developed new auxiliary facilities to ensure that livestock inspections can operate safely and uninterrupted. I’m proud to have worked with Douglas Mayor Danny Ortega and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in moving this effort forward.”

In May, Senator McCain contacted Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack urging USDA to resume cattle inspections on the U.S.-Mexico border and allow livestock transfers to occur between Agua Prieta, Sonora, and Douglas, Arizona. USDA agreed to resume inspections on May 19 and pledged to move forward with its auxiliary inspection facility expansion, which it completed this month.

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