A Threat Against a Federal Worker Has Made the U.S. Government Halt Avocado Imports From Mexico

The Agriculture Department paused imports of avocados from Mexico after one of its employees stationed there received a threatening phone call on an official device, the Mexican government has announced. 

The details of the threat were not immediately clear, though it was significant enough to halt all inspections. The employee was based in Uruapan, Michoacan, the only Mexican state that imports avocados to the United States. Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service clears avocados before they can enter the country. 

Mexican cartels are known to operate in Michoacan and have for years caused significant disruptions to the avocado industry. The pause came a day prior to the Super Bowl, the busiest time of year for Mexican avocado exporters. In the last six weeks, the Agriculture and Rural Development ministry in Mexico said, farmers have sent 135,000 tons of avocados to the United States. The halt on exports will last until further notice. About 80% of Mexico’s avocado exports go to the United States. 

Lucero Hernandez, an APHIS spokesperson, said the security incident involved a "verbal threat," but declined to provide further details. The agency is working with Customs and Border Protection to allow avocados still in Mexico that were inspected and approved prior to the pause to be imported into the country. 

"The suspension will remain in place for as long as necessary to ensure the appropriate actions are taken, to secure the safety of APHIS personnel working in Mexico," Hernandez said. 

The U.S. embassy in Mexico tweeted that “facilitating the exportation of Mexican avocados to the U.S. and guaranteeing the safety of our agricultural inspection teams go hand in hand." It added it is working with the Mexican government to "guarantee security conditions that allow for our personnel in Michoacan to resume operations."

APHIS has launched an investigation to determine what steps it must take to ensure the safety of its inspectors, the Mexican government said. The agency is working with local authorities and the Association of Avocado Exporting Producers and Packers of Mexico to develop safety measures. 

USDA has preliminarily agreed to begin accepting exports from a second Mexican state, Jalisco, and the Mexican government expects those shipments to begin at some point in 2022. 

This story has been updated with a statement from USDA.