Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre is criticizing the Biden administration for refusing to declare an emergency regarding the Tijuana River crisis, which has seen the dumping of enormous quantities of untreated sewage from Mexico and into the U.S. through the course of water.
Speaking to Border Report, Aguirre highlighted that delegations from San Diego visited the White House three times this year with this purpose, the last one taking place last month. However, their requests to unlock funding to address the issue have not been fruitful, she said.
"It's extremely concerning that we have the largest health crisis, the biggest environmental injustice in the nation and we haven't seen that leadership from both our state and federal governments," Aguirre told the outlet, remarking that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken the same stance as Biden.
Newsom visited the area for the first time in late October to take part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Diego. "The Tijuana River sewage crisis has impacted our communities for far too long," Newsom said. "We are making real progress – but our work is far from over — we need serious, continued action to protect public health and restore our environment."
However, Aguirre told Border Report back then that the "plant is not going to reduce our crisis." She has kept criticizing Newsom, saying he has said "very clearly" that "he does not believe this rises to the level of an emergency."
Imperial Beach is one of the most affected areas by the sewage and overall pollution coming into the Tijuana River Valley from Mexico; its beach was recently deemed one of the most polluted in the country.
"We're having hundreds if not thousands of families over the years impacted, and now in the last two years, it's gone up significantly by the toxic gasses, pathogens that are being aerosolized by what's coming through the river," Aguirre said.
Aguirre said she hopes the incoming Donald Trump administration will take a different approach to the issue and make it a priority. "I want to give the new administration the benefit of the doubt, we're going to make this a priority to work with the Trump administration as soon as they come in to power — with their team I actually see more of an opportunity because they'll have the judicial, the executive and the legislative branches all aligned."
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