Overview
- The U.S. Embassy announced on Thursday, August 13, 2026, that it restored full operations in Michoacán so USDA‑APHIS inspectors could return to plants and orchards to certify avocado shipments.
- The embassy had suspended activities on August 5 after threats against U.S. personnel halted fitosanitary inspections and blocked new export approvals to the United States.
- Mexico deployed about 1,500 additional military and National Guard personnel and set up dozens of security bases around empacadoras and transport routes, and senior security officials Omar García Harfuch and Ricardo Trevilla traveled to Michoacán to review protection measures.
- The pause disrupted the export certification process for a crop that generated about $3.9 billion in Mexican exports in 2025 and supports large numbers of local jobs, creating immediate delivery delays and added costs for producers, packers and transporters.
- This is the third temporary suspension of U.S. agricultural activity in Michoacán since 2022 and Washington kept Michoacán at Level 4 travel warning, saying it will keep monitoring conditions and may adjust operations if risks recur.