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source_url: https://www.kjzz.org/politics/2026-09-06/trump-signs-executive-order-seeking-to-strip-endangered-protections-for-mexican-gray-wolves
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President Donald Trump signed an [executive order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/09/supporting-americas-ranchers/) on Friday that could lead the Mexican gray wolf to be removed from the endangered species list.
The wolves nearly went extinct before they were reintroduced to Arizona and New Mexico in 1998. Nearly 30 years later, there are roughly 300 Mexican gray wolves in the region.
Sandy Bahr, from the Sierra Club, said there are two concerns: There isn’t yet enough genetic diversity among the wolves to warrant delisting. And the population is simply not large enough to be removed at this point.
“There are a lot of animals we wouldn't have if it weren't for the Endangered Species Act,” Bahr said. “Of course, some of them have actually recovered, but the Mexican gray wolf just isn't there yet.”
The executive order instructs the secretary of the Interior to determine if the Mexican gray wolf has met the recovery criteria, and to prepare a recommendation within 90 days to either delist or downgrade the wolves under the Endangered Species Act.
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Sonora’s cattle ranchers’ union says the border will reopen to live cattle after a “technical problem” is resolved.
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The Mexican state south of Arizona is seeing a growing number of cases of the New World screwworm parasite as the border reopens for live cattle imports to the United States.
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The nearly 700 head of live cattle crossed through an opening in the border wall Monday for the first time in more than a year.
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The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s approval of exploratory drilling for a copper mine near Arizona’s San Pedro River.
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The Arizona-Sonora border is set to reopen to cattle starting in Douglas on Monday. USDA says protocols in place will protect U.S. livestock from the flesh-eating parasite.