Re “Major Tijuana pipe fails, dumps sewage” (Jan. 16): The article states, “The collapse comes weeks after the Trump administration’s latest agreement with Mexico to expedite upgrades to the country’s wastewater infrastructure.” Yet when addressing Mexico’s pipe failure, county Supervisor Paloma Aguirre stated, “The Trump administration has failed the people of San Diego by allowing this crisis to stagnate.” Is that valid?
While Imperial Beach mayor in January 2024, Aguirre urged President Biden and Gov. Newsom to declare a federal emergency regarding the Tijuana River sewage crisis. That never happened. And since mid-2025, over seven months ago, Supervisor Aguirre stated she has been “working to get San Diego County more involved in fixing the sewage crisis.” “Fixing the sewage crisis” clearly hasn’t happened.
The Trump administration’s “latest agreement” with Mexico occurred “weeks” ago. Mexico’s broken pipe was repaired in three days instead of the expected 10 days.
Aguirre’s criticism of the Trump administration regarding this matter seems unhelpful and hurts her credibility.
— Jim Berg, San Diego