A flesh-eating parasite has been found 25 miles from the U.S. border with Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The flesh-eating New World screwworm was found in a five-year-old goat in Mexico’s Coahuila state, which shares a border with southwestern Texas, on May 28 by the USDA, CBS News reported. Data published via USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) indicates 26,964 cases of the flesh-eating parasite have been found in animals in Mexico, with a total of 1,981 active animal cases. The flesh-eating parasite is not currently present in the U.S., APHIS said.

The flesh-eating parasite has been moving closer to the U.S. since November 2024, when state and federal officials began monitoring cases confirmed in Mexico, according to The Texas Tribune. The New World screwworm was previously detected 60 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border in April 2026, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said, CBS News Texas reported. (RELATED: House Set To Break Farm Bill Rule Pushing Provision Favored By Big Agriculture Orgs)

Just held a virtual NWS briefing call with over 700 attendees from media to stakeholders to elected officials, to deliver a full update on the flesh-eating New World Screwworm pest as it nears our southern border — a threat that could potentially devastate American agriculture,… pic.twitter.com/EHJeWoTH7s

— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) June 2, 2026

Republican Texas State Rep. Don McLaughlin alleged that the flesh-eating parasite was just one mile away, a claim Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins refuted, according to The Texas Tribune.

“When that false information gets out, it causes significant panic. And rightly so, especially if it’s coming from elected officials and the media,” Rollins said during a recent news conference, the outlet reported.

Rollins also said the flesh-eating parasite is a “very, very serious threat to our livestock” while on a call with reporters, according to Reuters.

The New World screwworm mostly affects livestock, pets, and wildlife, and less commonly affects humans and birds, according to a fact sheet from APHIS. The disease spreads when the screwworm lays eggs in a wound or a body opening, such as the nose and ears. New World screwworm larvae feed on the tissue of warm-blooded animals.

The parasite does not cause coughing or respiratory illness. The disease is also not contagious, and there is no animal-to-human or human-to-human transmission, according to APHIS. The USDA maintains surveillance of the parasite and has 100 New World screwworm-specific traps and approximately 7,500 insect traps across Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California.

Although the parasite mostly affects animals, one case of New World screwworm was detected in an individual who traveled to El Salvador from Maryland, CBS News reported in August 2025. The individual recovered, according to Maryland health officials; the outlet later reported.

APHIS funds 90% of the Panama-United States Commission for the Eradication and Prevention of Screwworm Infestation in Livestock (COPEG), according to its 2025 explanatory notes. APHIS also estimates that the U.S.’ investment in COPEG has saved the cattle industry and other New World screwworm-free areas $2.3 billion a year. Should the parasite establish itself in the United States — and resist extermination — it could be devastating to agricultural livestock.

The COPEG program costs $15 million a year, Vox reported. Through the program, the New World screwworm is genetically modified using radiation, so the parasite can’t reproduce as a form of pest control, according to the outlet. For years, this program has kept the parasite relatively isolated to South America. Concerningly, the parasite’s northward move coincides with the surge in illegal immigrants crossing through the Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama and onward into Mexico and the United States under former U.S. President Joe Biden.