TIJUANA RIVER VALLEY (KGTV) — U.S. Senator Cory Booker visited the Tijuana River Valley on Thursday to witness firsthand the ongoing sewage crisis affecting the region.
The New Jersey senator toured a contamination hot spot off Saturn Road with Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, observing toxic chemicals bubbling up from the ground.
"The air conditioning did not stop the stench from coming through. We were smelling this all the way down the road," Booker said.
During the visit, Booker expressed his support for declaring a state of emergency for the area.
"I'm calling for that right now. This is a state of emergency, and it should have an official declaration," he said.
Booker, who has experience addressing environmental issues in New Jersey, related the situation to his previous work.
"I've been a Mayor, I've superfund sites in my community that just didn't get the federal action it deserved," Booker said.
Aguirre, who worked for Booker's office in 2016, organized the tour to gain support from both chambers of Congress.
"The House has voted to gut a lot of fundamental programs, we need help on the Senate side to not eliminate a lot of the sources of funding that address these environmental injustices," Aguirre said.
Booker said he plans to speak with California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff to put pressure on the Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin recently visited the area himself and committed to pressuring Mexico to address the issue.
