Texas Officials Brace for Screwworm Threat Advancing From Mexico Toward the Border

COLDSPRING, Texas — Texas officials are bracing for what Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller calls a potentially statewide threat as flesh‑eating New World screwworms continue pushing north through Mexico. The threat prompted Governor Greg Abbott to issue a rare statewide disaster declaration and activate emergency powers before the parasite reaches the border.

Although the screwworm has not yet entered Texas, officials warn its rapid spread toward the Rio Grande poses a “serious threat to Texas’s livestock industry and wildlife,” and the declaration allows the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team to bypass red tape and deploy state assets immediately if an infestation is detected.

“State law authorizes me to act to prevent a threat of infestation that could cause severe damage to Texas property, and