Senator Padilla Introduces Resolution Urging Congress and President Trump to Halt Extension of USMCA Unless Border River Pollution Crisis Addressed
SACRAMENTO – This week, Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) introduced Senate Joint Resolution 13, which urges the United States to halt the extension of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) until enforceable and measurable commitments to eliminate chronic transboundary sewage discharges into the Tijuana River Watershed are secured from Mexico.
In 2024, the Tijuana River was named in the 10 most endangered rivers in America. The designation comes from an analysis of the hazardous industrial waste and raw sewage present in the river. In 2025, the Tijuana River was named the second most polluted in America.
Since the adoption of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, trade between California and Mexico has grown substantially. This surge in cross-border trade fueled rapid growth of manufacturing facilities in northern Mexico.. The concentration of industrial and residential activity in these regions has outpaced the capacity of existing wastewater, stormwater, and environmental infrastructure, contributing to chronic pollution in the Tijuana River Valley and the New River.
This pollution has led to prolonged beach closures in San Diego County, harmed tourism and local businesses, threatened public health in border communities, and disrupted United States Navy training operations. Border communities, who are overwhelmingly working-class families and communities of color, bear the heaviest impacts, raising serious environmental justice concerns. Similarly, the New River, originating in Mexicali, Baja California, and flowing through Calexico and Imperial County into the Salton Sea, is among the most polluted waterways in North America, carrying untreated sewage, industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and toxic contaminants, with fecal coliform levels nearly 800 times the federal legal limit.
The USMCA, which entered into effect in 2020, includes binding environmental commitments. As part of the negotiations, funding was secured at the federal level to upgrade the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP), which treats the Tijuana River. Despite more than 650 million dollars in federal investments, pollution continues at alarming levels. More than 100 billion gallons of toxic effluent have crossed into the United States since the USMCA took effect, showing that these environmental commitments fall short of what’s needed to protect California communities.
The USMCA is structured to remain in force for 16 years, expiring on July 1, 2036, unless the parties agree to extend it. Article 34.7 requires a formal joint review at the six-year mark to determine whether it should be extended for an additional 16-year term. This year’s review presents a critical chance to ensure that the agreement’s environmental commitments are meaningfully enforced.
SJR 13 calls on the United States to use the renewal process to secure measurable, enforceable progress in eliminating transboundary sewage pollution. It also calls upon the federal government to make clear that continuation of the USMCA is contingent upon full and sustained compliance with agreed upon environmental benchmarks, timelines, and accountability measures for the Tijuana River Valley and New River.
Furthermore, until recently, the crisis at the Tijuana River Valley was thought to be mainly a water contamination issue — but science has now confirmed it's also an air pollution crisis. A UC San Diego/SDSU study established for the first time that poor water quality can profoundly degrade air quality, exposing entire communities to toxic gases. Community surveys found respiratory issues in 76% of respondents, cognitive symptoms like difficulty concentrating in 51% of respondents, and over 90% reported poor air and water quality. About three-quarters reported reducing outdoor activity due to pollution. Doctors working in the area have testified they're seeing children with headaches, nausea, and wheezing symptoms when sewage odors are present in the air.
“Trade agreements must not ignore environmental harm and the real public threat increased economic activity has on our border communities,” said Senator Padilla. “Ensuring renewal of the USMCA must depend on measurable progress. Our federal government must secure real and meaningful protections for our community. By halting all discussion of extensions until we have clear commitments from Mexico to address this crisis, we can finally take real steps towards ending this generations long injustice. Economic prosperity cannot come at the expense of California’s environment and communities’ health.”
SJR 13 urges the Unites States, at this year’s six-year joint review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), to secure enforceable, measurable commitments to eliminate chronic transboundary sewage discharges into the Tijuana River watershed and untreated sewage, industrial effluents, and toxic pollutants flowing through the New River into California
SJR 13 is supported by local leaders and advocacy groups across communities impacted by cross border sewage.
"For decades, the 'cost of doing business' under our trade agreements has been paid for with the lives of our border communities,” said San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre. “While billions in goods flow north, billions of gallons of toxic sewage and industrial waste flow into our backyards, our air, and our oceans. This is a systemic failure that can no longer be ignored. The upcoming six-year review of the USMCA is our line in the sand. We are calling on the United States to make the renewal of this agreement strictly contingent on enforceable, measurable environmental benchmarks. We refuse to sign off on another sixteen years of empty promises and broken infrastructure while our families continue to suffer. SJR 13 sends an unwavering message: economic integration must not come at the expense of human lives. Real accountability and clean water are not 'negotiables'—they are the prerequisites for any future trade. It is time for our environmental protections to be as enforceable as our trade profits."
“Investment in water and wastewater infrastructure is not merely an environmental or public health issue: it is a strategic economic and regional security imperative, said Courtney Baltiyskyy, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy YMCA of San Diego County & and member of the Tijuana River Coalition. “Time and again, funding needs for the numerous pumps, pipelines, treatment plants, and other components needed to collect and treat transboundary wastewater have been ignored – leading to the routine failure and/or destruction of multiple components throughout the complex binational wastewater system. We need to fix, prevent, and heal the pollution in communities around the Tijuana River. Our coalition proposes common-sense policy solutions to fix the sewage, industrial waste, trash, hydrogen sulfide and other toxins, prevent future impacts, and heal our communities. We urgently call to strengthen the USMCA by incorporating our coalition's recommendations in its report to Congress and in the trilateral discussions to enhance the effective operation of the USMCA.”
“For decades, border communities have paid the price of economic growth without the infrastructure or accountability needed to protect public health and the environment. SJR 13 rightly calls on the United States to use the upcoming USMCA joint review to secure enforceable, measurable commitments to finally end the chronic sewage discharges impacting the Tijuana River and New River,” said Eric Montoya Reyes, Executive Director at Los Amigos del la Comunidad. “Despite billions in trade and hundreds of millions in federal investment, more than 100 billion gallons of toxic pollution have crossed into our communities, harming families, closing beaches, and exposing residents to serious health risks. We cannot allow trade agreements to continue ignoring these consequences. The renewal of USMCA must be tied to real, enforceable environmental progress. Our communities deserve clean air, clean water, and the dignity of living free from ongoing environmental harm.”
“Comité de acción del Valle, INC. puts a huge effort into caring for the well-being of its community. For this reason, we support efforts to address the climate change and pollution surrounding us,” said Ruben Partida, Executive Director of Comite de Accion Del Valle. “The cross-border pollution has been affecting both farmworker families and disadvantaged communities along the New River and throughout the Imperial Valley. We believe this pollution creates a serious health and safety hazard in our community and prompt action is needed to stop it. We support the inclusion of enforceable protections and accountability measures to ensure our communities are better protected.”
Senator Padilla has authored several measures to address the public health crisis at California’s Southern Border. Currently, Senator Padilla’s Senate Bill 58 to update the state’s outdated hydrogen sulfide standard is advancing in the California Legislature. To read more about Senator Padilla’s previous efforts to address the pollution in the Tijuana River Valley, click here, here and here.
SJR 13 will be heard in the Legislature in the coming months.
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Steve Padilla represents the 18th Senate District, which includes the communities of Chula Vista, the Coachella Valley, Imperial Beach, the Imperial Valley, National City, and San Diego. Prior to his election to the Senate in 2022, Senator Padilla was the first person of color ever elected to city office in Chula Vista, the first Latino Mayor, and the first openly LGBT person to serve or be elected to city office. Website of Senator Steve Padilla: https://sd18.senate.ca.gov/