Iowa lawmakers have proposed legislation prohibiting vaccines from being distributed, sold, or administered within the state unless the manufacturer waives “immunity from suit for an injury arising from a design defect of the vaccine, including the immunity granted by the federal National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act.” MAHA: This could be our biggest win yet Iowa Republicans want to END vaccine manufacturers’ immunity from lawsuits for vaccine injuries “A vaccine shall not be distributed, sold, or administered in this state unless the manufacturer … waives any immunity from suit for an… pic.twitter.com/3dMK1jVypH — Holden Culotta (@Holden_Culotta) March 7, 2025 A closer look: From Iowa Capital Dispatch: An Iowa House subcommittee advanced a bill Wednesday that would prohibit vaccines from being distributed and administered in Iowa unless the vaccine manufacturer waives legal immunities. Medical students, practitioners and advocates said the measure could prevent some vaccines from being available in Iowa, and could contribute to a rise in the spread of diseases like measles that can be prevented through vaccinations. House File 712 would require vaccine manufacturers to affirmatively waive any immunity from suits over injuries arising from “a design defect of the vaccine,” including immunity granted by the federal National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. The 1986 law established the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) as a way to provide no-fault compensation to individuals and families who were injured by childhood vaccines. Supporters of the bill said the federal vaccine injury compensation program did not grant compensation to victims often and took years to make decisions. Sonya Swan, who supported the legislation, read a letter she said was from another Iowa family with a child who suffered a vaccine injury. BREAKING: Republicans in Iowa are proposing a bill, House File 712, which bars a vaccine from being distributed, sold or administered in Iowa unless the vaccine manufacturer waives "immunity from suit for an injury arising from a design defect of the vaccine, including the… — Dr. Simone Gold (@drsimonegold) March 7, 2025 “Vaccine adverse events are not rare and far too common, and no other industry enjoys the complete liability protection awarded to vaccine manufacturers,” Swan said, according to Iowa Capital Dispatch. “When an injury occurs, families like mine — my friend’s — are left holding the bag financially to support and help their injured child with very little help,” she added. Wow Iowa! Iowa lawmakers are looking at removing legal protections for vaccine manufacturers. Wednesday, lawmakers advanced a bill that bans vaccines from being administered unless the manufacturer waives any immunity they may have from lawsuits. pic.twitter.com/DE5rJ95Imu — Informed NJ Nurses (@InformedNJNurse) March 6, 2025 Des Moines Register reports: Campbell told reporters that the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a U.S. government program that gathers reports of side effects potentially caused by vaccines, “gets in the way of due process” for people who report possible vaccine-related injuries. There is a process — separate from VAERS — to be compensated for potential vaccine-related injuries. The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program allows anyone who believes they were injured from a vaccine to file a petition with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. This program was created in the 1980s, after lawsuits faced by vaccine companies and health care providers threatened to cause vaccine shortages and reduce U.S. vaccination rates, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration. Some states are pushing restrictions on COVID-19 vaccines as President Donald Trump’s new “Make America Healthy Again” commission reviews certain vaccines for ties to chronic illnesses, including those using mRNA technology.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is closing a migrant processing facility in Eagle Pass, Texas, amid a substantial decline in illegal crossings since President Trump took office. According to the New York Post, a temporary, soft-sided facility called “Firefly” will shut its doors. The detention center opened in July 2022 to “quickly process people in Border Patrol custody by providing food, shelter and processing space,” NewsNation noted. The ‘Firelfy’ Migrant processing facility in Eagle Pass, Texas is closing down after U.S.-Mexico border crossings hit a two-decade low. The Trump effect! pic.twitter.com/36mlGWY813 — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 7, 2025 From the New York Post: The Biden administration opened the more than 150,000-square-foot facility as it scrambled to find the space to process the thousands of illegal migrants streaming across the border into Eagle Pass, Texas. “They were always supposed to be temporary … that temporary solution became four years,” said one CBP source. With fewer migrants crossing illegally, Border Patrol facilities have sat largely empty. In February, border agents encountered roughly 8,000 illegal migrants crossing the southern border, marking the lowest month in at least 25 years, according to leaked data first obtained by The Post. In response, Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks offered ICE his temporary facilities. “With encounter numbers plummeting—Soft-sided processing centers are closing down at the southern border—CBP sources confirm that ‘Firefly’ was shut down last night and the only ones that will remain for now are the El Paso and San Diego facilities,” NewsNation correspondent Ali Bradley wrote. #BREAKING #SCOOP With encounter numbers plummeting—Soft-sided processing centers are closing down at the southern border—CBP sources confirm that “Firefly” was shut down last night and the only ones that will remain for now are the El Paso and San Diego facilities. Firefly has… pic.twitter.com/BBBEhAsauH — Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) March 5, 2025 Full text below: #BREAKING #SCOOP With encounter numbers plummeting—Soft-sided processing centers are closing down at the southern border—CBP sources confirm that “Firefly” was shut down last night and the only ones that will remain for now are the El Paso and San Diego facilities. Firefly has the capability to hold around 1k people, but at peak times it was bursting at the seams with 4k+ migrants—At one point while @RepTonyGonzales was there, 5,900 were in custody—The 90,000-square-foot, climate-controlled facility was designed to provide shelter, food, and processing space for migrants. If someone crosses illegally now, they will be processed like they were in the past—Sources telling me, “The facilities we have are appropriate for the apprehensions we are seeing…” Per NewsNation: The news comes amid Vice President JD Vance‘s visit to the southern border Wednesday to highlight the Trump administration’s tough immigration policies as the White House touts a sharp decline in border crossings. Illegal crossings at the border have dropped 94% compared to last year, according to Border Patrol officials, and the decline is attributed to several factors — including labeling cartel groups as terrorist organizations, boosting ICE deportations and deploying military resources for enforcement and deportation flights. Alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, Vance is expected to visit Eagle Pass, once considered a hot spot for illegal crossings. The visit comes as the White House pushes its “whole of government” approach, coordinating efforts between the departments of Homeland Security, Defense and Justice.

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