San Diego Prosecutors Request Tijuana Pollution Data

The San Diego County District Attorney's Office has formally requested environmental records from Mexico to investigate potential industrial polluters across the border.

The request targets specific chemical compounds and enforcement actions that may be affecting local water quality and public health in the South Bay.

District Attorney Summer Stephan stated that the office is seeking data from PROFEPA, Mexico's federal agency for environmental protection. The request covers the period from January 2023 through September 2026 and asks for records on inspections, sanctions, and citizen complaints regarding the Tijuana and Alamar rivers.

A recent report by the nonprofit San Diego Coastkeeper identified the source of these contaminants. The 2025 Tijuana River Valley Water Quality Report found volatile and semi-volatile compounds in the river, including heavy metals, pesticides, PFAs, acetone, and phenols. The organization attributed these findings to factories known as maquiladoras that are either dumping waste directly into surface waters or releasing it through inadequate wastewater treatment systems.

The Tijuana River carries billions of gallons of sewage into the county annually. While this flow has long posed health risks to residents, the new evidence suggests that industrial chemical pollutants are now a distinct concern. Stephan noted that many of these factories hold U.S. ownership interests or have parent companies in the United States, giving the local prosecutor's office a potential basis for jurisdiction.

In a written statement, Stephan compared the situation to a robbery that begins in Mexico but continues into San Diego County. She argued that when environmental violations cross the border and continue to harm local water, air, and people, the consequences cannot be ignored. The office intends to use the gathered evidence to identify and pursue these industries with U.S. financial ties.