EXCLUSIVE: Mexico’s Sewage Is Making America’s Future Navy SEALs Sick

Navy SEAL candidates are routinely getting severely ill from raw sewage-contaminated water flowing from Mexico to San Diego, sources tell the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The decades-long Tijuana River sewage crisis has exposed America’s elite warfighters to dangerous contamination from toxic waste, raising questions about military readiness, border security and military bureaucracy. As sewage infrastructure south of the border struggles to accommodate population growth from unfettered migration, untreated wastewater continues to flow into American waters where Navy SEAL candidates train, according to retired SEALS, family members of SEAL candidates and multiple government agencies.

“It’s a national security issue. It’s disgusting. It’s an abomination,” retired Navy SEAL Robert Sweetman told the DCNF.

Exposure to water contaminated by the Tijuana River can result in Hepatitis A and E, parasites, norovirus, gastroenteritis, salmonella, ear and skin infections, and many other ailments, according to a report from the California Regional Quality Control Board.

SEAL candidates spend hours per day in the water during Hell Week, per Navy Special Warfare Command (NAVSPECWARCOM). During this time, they are swimming, diving and undergoing other conditioning, leading to contaminated water in their mouths, nose, ears, eyes and any open cuts.

The Department of War Inspector General and NAVSPECWARCOM did not reply to a request for comment.

‘My Blood Came Back Toxic’

The Tijuana River originates in Mexico, crosses into California and empties into the Pacific Ocean just south of Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, where thousands of special operations personnel train each year. Approximately 50 million gallons of this waste are dumped into the river each day, subsequently flowing to the coast of San Diego, according to the California State Lands Commission. The untreated sewage can also emit an airborne pathogen called hydrogen sulfide, according to San Diego County Air Pollution Control District.

“Between 2010 and 2024, the official census population for Tijuana increased from approximately 1.2M to 2.3M people. However, the unofficial population growth rate is widely acknowledged to be significantly higher due to massive waves of uncounted transient migrants, asylum seekers, and informal settlements. The vast majority of the population growth in Tijuana can be tied to migration from within Mexico and from outside of Mexico, including Central America, Haiti, Venezuela, and other regions,” an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official told the DCNF.

This has contaminated ocean water, leading one San Diego beach to be closed for over 1,000 consecutive days, per Surfline, a forecasting program documenting waves and water quality at beaches worldwide.