Mexico City, Mexico - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday criticized a decision by the US to suspend livestock imports again due to a flesh-eating pest, calling it "exaggerated."

The latest halt announced by President Donald Trump's administration late Wednesday came just two days after Mexico resumed cattle exports to the United States following a two-month pause.

"From our point of view, they made a totally exaggerated decision to close the border again," Sheinbaum said at her morning news conference.

US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Washington had taken "decisive action" after Mexico confirmed another case of screwworm in its eastern state of Veracruz.

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Sheinbaum said that once the case was identified, a protocol was activated that included treating animals, inspecting herds, and spreading sterile flies to control the flesh-eating larvae.

Rollins, however, said that "additional progress" was needed in Veracruz and nearby states before Mexican livestock imports could resume.

Mexico exported just over one million head of cattle to the US in 2024, according to official estimates. The trade was halted briefly that year for the same reason.

The livestock row came amid heightened tensions between the two neighbors over the Trump administration's hardline immigration policy and trade tariffs.