As there are currently 12 known New World Screwworm cases in the United States, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security are formally teaming up to tackle the issue, the Trump administration announced Tuesday.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins explained that illegal border crossings coming to a screeching halt has helped make the NWS response smoother, as it is a much larger issue in Mexico. The domestic cases have almost all been in Texas.
“The good news with what DHS has done under President Trump and all of those resources, we have basically now no illegal crossings going on,” she said when asked by Townhall about whether Mexico has been cooperative as the U.S. fights NWS, which can seriously harm livestock.
The secretary said that she recently met with Mexican official Julio Berdegué to “move some things along in Mexico as well as we possibly can,” specifically pertaining to the “illicit movement of cattle in Mexico” and “challenges with the cartels.”
After nearly 60 years, New World screwworm has been detected in the U.S. Robbie Graff of Rock Creek Ranch caught a case early in a newborn calf and reported it immediately.
— Dept. of Agriculture (@USDA) June 15, 2026
This is a great example of how fast reporting can secure your livestock, and protect the entire community.… pic.twitter.com/JzoFrurr9s
“We have a lot of resources that can now be deployed into this battle, especially with artificial intelligence, etc,” she added.
Rollins explained to reporters Tuesday that over 142 million sterile flies have been dropped into Texas starting in February to counteract the possible spread.
In addition, the secretary revealed that there are efforts to surveil wildlife to assure that those animals do not pass the disease to livestock.
DHS’ Acting Chief Medical Officer Sean Conley stressed that border authorities have been the “frontline” for tackling the issue, adding that “food security is national security.”
“We have nearly 600 agricultural specialists that are embedded around the border,” he added.
Rollins explained that “one of the most significant challenges in New World Screwworm eradication is detecting infestations in wildlife before it spreads into the livestock population.”
.@SecRollins just held a strong press conference on @USDA’S aggressive New World Screwworm response.
— New World Screwworm Rapid Response (@Screwworm_RR) June 15, 2026
✅ 142+ million sterile flies released in Texas since February
✅ 78 NWS-specific traps across 16 Texas counties + 8,000+ fruit fly traps monitored
✅ 170+ federal & state staff… pic.twitter.com/Q1FHlVZsw4
She noted the use of trail cameras and AI to track “interactions with environmental risk model and advanced molecular diagnostics" through a Texas A&M AgriLife research project.
“It is designed to identify high risk locations and time periods where wildlife could contribute to the New World Screwworm introduction or establishment, which, of course, helps us prioritize where we’re dropping the flies,” she said.
Texas is also playing a large role in the NWS response, as the Lone Star State has enabled emergency resources to be used.
“The State of Texas will use every tool to protect our cattle industry and wildlife while we eradicate this pest,” Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) stated Monday, as the state launched a training to help Texans identify NWS.
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