OAN Staff Cory Hawkins
5:05 PM – Wednesday, December 10, 2025
In a somewhat ominous post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump accused Mexico of posing a cross-border sewage contamination issue hazardous to the United States, branding the nation a “true threat” to Texas and California residents due to its water and sewage problem.
In Mexico, a prolonged drought has in fact left northern reservoirs critically low, causing the country to fall far behind on its 1944 Water Treaty obligations and owe the U.S. over 800,000 acre-feet from the Rio Grande.
Back in April, Mexican officials, following pressure from U.S. leaders, reached a deal to ensure Texas farmers get clean water from the Rio Grande. Additionally, under the 1944 Water Treaty, Mexico also agreed to deliver 1.75 million acre-feet of water over a five-year cycle from the Rio Grande.
Meanwhile, overwhelmed and underfunded wastewater systems — especially in Tijuana, Nogales, and Nuevo Laredo — discharge 30–150 million gallons per day of raw or poorly treated sewage across the border, contaminating beaches in California, the Rio Grande in Texas, and causing prolonged public-health emergencies in U.S. border communities. Inside Mexico, millions lack reliable piped water or sewer connections, major cities endure rationing and leaks, and the country needs tens of billions in infrastructure investment it currently cannot afford, making these problems both a domestic emergency and a growing cross-border crisis.
”Mexico must take care of its water and sewage problem, IMMEDIATELY. It is a true Threat to the People of Texas, California, and the United States of America!” Trump declared on Truth Social on Wednesday.
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A video accompanying Trump’s post also informed that, “Mexico is sending millions of gallons of untreated sewage water into the Tijuana River.”
“The often massive releases are linked to operational issues at Tijuana’s primary wastewater treatment facility. It’s created a health hazard for communities like Imperial Beach and Coronado,” the video adds.
The tweet relates to a meeting in July where both Mexico and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding that includes steps to address and stop the flow of sewage through the Tijuana River Basin. The agreement reinforced the commitment of both nationals to establish a joint plan, coordinating through agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), and the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC).
“There is a great commitment by the two countries to strengthen cooperation,” said Mexican Environmental Secretary Alicia Barcena, after meeting with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin in Mexico City back in July.
“The Trump Administration is proud to deliver this massive environmental and national security win for Americans in the San Diego area who have been living with this disgusting raw sewage flowing into their communities for far too long,” Zeldin chimed in.
Under the agreement, Mexico committed to obligate the remaining $93 million designated for wastewater infrastructure projects and to prioritize their completion through 2027. The country also agreed to accelerate timelines for key projects, with the goal of finishing the remaining work by December 31, 2027.
Roughly tens of millions of gallons of polluted water, including raw sewage, industrial waste, and stormwater, cross the U.S.–Mexico border from the Tijuana River basin and flow into the Pacific Ocean each day. The exact volume varies widely, especially during storms, but it routinely overwhelms existing collection systems and treatment facilities.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, these cross-border flows continue to harm both water quality and air quality for communities in San Diego County.
The pollution is not the result of deliberate dumping, per se, more so stemming from a decades-long infrastructure crisis marked by failing and undersized wastewater systems, rapid urban development, frequent pump and pipeline breakdowns, and limited treatment capacity. Heavy rainfall also makes the problem worse, as stormwater mixes with sewage, trash, and industrial runoff — pushing far more water through the system than it can handle.
As a result, beaches in South County face frequent closures, and public-health advisories have become routine. Frustration has grown among federal, state, and local officials as long-delayed upgrades to wastewater infrastructure on both sides of the border remain incomplete.
In response to ongoing odors and air-quality problems linked to these sewage flows, the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District distributed 200 air purifiers to residents and businesses in South Bay communities on Monday.
Meanwhile, in a separate post on Truth Social, President Trump issued additional demands related to the ongoing problem.
“Mexico continues to violate our comprehensive Water Treaty, and this violation is seriously hurting our BEAUTIFUL TEXAS CROPS AND LIVESTOCK,” the president wrote. “Mexico still owes the U.S over 800,000 acre-feet of water for failing to comply with our Treaty over the past five years.”
Texas farmers reported a disastrous year for citrus and sugar due to sewage from Mexico seeping into the water and soil. The country consistently falls short, resulting in extreme water shortages in the Rio Grande Valley, which kill crops and threaten the region’s economy.
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