SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Several California state assembly memebers are asking President Trump to declare a state of emergency as a way to quickly mitigate sewage pollution that for decades has been tainting the Tijuana River Valley just north of the border.

On Tuesday morning, legislation known as AJR 16, received unanimous support in the Assembly’s Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee.

In the coming weeks, the bill will go before the full state assembly for a vote.

Assemblymember David Alvarez, one of the sponsors, says Trump needs to take action to address the “environmental injustice facing communities, which have endured beach closures, air and water contamination, and diminished economic activity.”

Alvarez represents areas mostly affected by the pollution including the city of Imperial Beach and the southern portion within the city of San Diego.

He says the president needs to resolve “ongoing impacts on public health, the environment, and the local economy caused by transboundary flow pollution in South San Diego and Imperial Valley.”

According to his office, more than 200 billion gallons of toxic wastewater have flowed into California from Mexico along the Tijuana River since 2018.

AJR 16 also takes into account the New River that runs through the city of Calexico in the Imperial Valley.

For years, this waterway has been polluted with industrial waste, urban runoff, chemicals and fertilizers that originated south of the border.

“Enough is enough, border communities like Imperial Beach, San Ysidro and Calexico should not be treated as sacrifice zones,” said Alvarez. “This is not just a water issue study upon study have found that it is a public health emergency, which demands a national response. We are calling on President Donald J. Trump and Congress to act with the urgency and scale that this disaster demands.”

Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez, who represents Imperial County and portions of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, is also behind the legislation.

“The people of Imperial County have lived with the impacts of New River pollution for far too long. This is not just an environmental concern—it’s a public health challenge that affects our communities every day,” Gonzalez said. “I respectfully urge the federal government to recognize the seriousness of this crisis and to declare a national emergency. With federal partnership, we can work together to ensure a cleaner, safer and healthier future for families on both sides of our border.”

According to Alvarez’s office, recent studies done by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have found that up to 76 percent of bacteria in the city of Imperial Beach’s air comes from transboundary pollution.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the County of San Diego have also completed surveys showing the ongoing sewage crisis is disrupting the lives of those who live in South San Diego.

AJR 16 calls for:

• Full funding of the EPA’s infrastructure plan to stop sewage spills and end beach closures, which have lasted over 1,270 consecutive days in some areas.
• A national emergency declaration to unlock additional federal resources and fast track permitting.
• Long-term operation and maintenance support for wastewater treatment facilities.
• Federal investments to address pollution in the New River, which flows from Mexicali to the Salton Sea and affects the community of Calexico.