A flesh-eating parasite just crossed the southern border into Texas – and it didn't swim.
Now Florida is locked down, and the Agriculture Secretary is pointing the finger directly at Joe Biden.
She's right, and here's the evidence they don't want you to see.
Screwworm Doesn't Walk. It Rides.
The New World screwworm doesn't migrate on its own.
Experts are clear: rapid spread across hundreds of miles happens because people are moving infested animals – not because the flies travel independently.
The parasite spent two years marching northward through Central America before hitting Mexico in November 2024, then rode cattle movement straight toward the U.S. border.
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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said it out loud on a call with officials last week: "These flies do not fly to new areas on their own. If they move, it's because they are moving with the animal."
Biden's four years of weakened border posture created exactly the cattle movement conditions that let this parasite travel north and land in a Texas calf's umbilical cord.
That isn't a Republican talking point – it's basic biology applied to four years of deliberate policy choices.
Florida Locked the Door Before Washington Finished Talking
On June 3, USDA confirmed screwworm larvae in a three-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas – the first domestic case in 60 years.
Three days later, a second calf tested positive 5.6 miles away.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson didn't wait for a committee meeting.
Within 48 hours he issued Emergency Rule 5CER26-6, a two-tier import lockdown covering every warm-blooded animal entering Florida from affected zones.
Animals from high-risk areas now require a five-day Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection – one that explicitly states the animals are free from screwworm larvae, with no alternative documentation accepted.
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Animals from infested zones face a total import ban through June 10, after which producers must secure prior permission two days in advance, prove larvicide treatment, and carry a formal treatment certificate from the originating state.
"We will use every tool at our disposal to protect our state," Simpson said.
Why Florida Cannot Afford to Get This Wrong
The screwworm thrives in warm, humid climates – which is precisely why Florida was the epicenter of the original American infestation in 1957.
The state's cattle and dairy industry generated over $2 billion in sales in 2022, with 1.5 million head of cattle exposed to exactly the conditions this parasite loves.
Before eradication in 1966, American producers lost between $50 and $100 million annually to screwworm damage.
In 1935, Texas alone lost 180,000 head of cattle in a single year.
The USDA estimates a full reestablishment today would cost the Texas economy $1.8 billion – and that's just one state.
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Beef prices are already near historic highs.
A screwworm outbreak spreading into Florida's cattle country wouldn't just hurt ranchers – it would hit every American family at the grocery store.
Trump Is Cleaning Up the Mess
Rollins has been ahead of this threat since day one.
The USDA has been releasing over 100 million sterile screwworm flies per week along the southern border – the same eradication technique that worked in 1966.
A new $750 million production facility in Edinburg, Texas, is being built to scale that up to 300 million sterile flies per week.
When Mexico dragged its feet on cooperation, Rollins sent a letter threatening to cut off all livestock imports from south of the border.
Mexico agreed within days.
That is the difference between an administration that protects American agriculture and one that spent four years treating the southern border like an open suggestion while a flesh-eating parasite crept closer every month.
Simpson's emergency rule is the Florida version of that same model – and it's exactly what Florida ranchers, horse owners, and pet owners needed to hear.
If you see slow-healing wounds with larvae in your animals, that's the call to make: (850) 410-0900 during business hours, 1-800-342-5869 after hours.
Sources:
- USDA APHIS, "USDA Confirms Presence of New World Screwworm in the United States," USDA, June 3, 2026.
- USDA APHIS, "Secretary Rollins Suspends Live Animal Imports Through Ports of Entry Along Southern Border," USDA, May 11, 2025.
- Michelle Vecerina, "Agriculture Commissioner Simpson Issues Emergency Rule Tightening Animal Imports Following Texas Screwworm Detection," Florida Voice News, June 5, 2026.
- Brooke Rollins, media call transcript via San Antonio Current, June 5, 2026.
- Drovers Staff, "New World Screwworm: The Billion Dollar Battle at the Southern Border," Drovers, June 2025.
