The US has rejected a request for water from Mexico and claimed a lack of sharing by Southern neighbors as Donald Trump has strengthened the fight on another side.
The State Department said Thursday it was the first time the US had rejected a request for Mexico’s special water delivery.
“Mexico’s continued shortage in water delivery under the 1944 Water Sharing Treaty is destroying American agriculture, particularly farmers in the Rio Grande Valley,” the State Department’s Office of Latin America said in a post in X.
The 1944 treaty governing water allocations from the Rio Grande and Colorado rivers has seen tensions rise in recent years due to the pressures of the climate crisis and the pressures of arid population and agriculture.
The treaty sets a five-year cycle for water supply, with the latest set ending in October 2025.
Under the treaty, Mexico sends water from the rivers of the Rio Grande Basin to the United States, which sends Mexican water further westward from the Colorado River. However, Mexico is delaying its water payments due to arid drought conditions in the country’s north.
US farmers and lawmakers complain that neighbors have waited until the end of each cycle in the past, shortening their latest period.
The treaty is highly controversial south of the border, where Mexican farmers have suffered severe drought in recent years.
A year ago, the last sugar mill in southern Texas was closed, denounced the lack of water transport from Mexico.
After 18 months of negotiations, the US and Mexico reached an agreement in November to improve delivery, days after Trump’s election.
The understanding that was subsequently welcomed by the Biden administration calls for Mexico to work with the US to provide water in a more timely manner, including each five-year cycle.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday that the water issue was “dealing” through the border water committees of both countries before the State Department’s announcement.
“The water is low, and that’s part of the problem,” she told reporters.
Tijuana, a vast city on its border with California, is located on its manufacturing hub, and relies on about 90% of the Colorado River water, and has been wasted from its creaky infrastructure.
The Colorado River, a major source of water in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, has reduced water levels due to drought and high levels of agricultural consumption in the southwestern United States, with about half of the water raising beef and dairy cows.
In southern Texas, farmers are expressing fears about the future of cotton, citrus and other agricultural products without a more regular water supply across the Mexican border.
US farm secretary Brooke Rollins announced $280 million on Wednesday in the Rio Grande Valley Farmers relief fund.
“Texas farmers are in danger due to Mexico’s violations,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz wrote about X, praising the State Department’s water decision.
“I will work with the Trump administration to pressure Mexico to comply with us and to get water from Texas farmers.”
Water conflicts arise as Trump takes a tough approach to Latin American countries, especially when migrating.
Returning to the office, Trump vowed to end the undocumented arrival of immigrants.
Trump deployed his troops to the border and announced painful tariffs in Mexico, but he is holding them until April 2nd.
