WASHINGTON, April 11 — Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened Mexico with escalating trade tariffs and potential sanctions unless it increases water deliveries to Texas under a decades-old bilateral treaty.
Accusing Mexico of breaching the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty, Trump claimed the country was “stealing the water from Texas farmers” and blamed it for the recent closure of the state’s only sugar mill due to water shortages. He issued the warning in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. “We will keep escalating consequences, including TARIFFS and, maybe even SANCTIONS, until Mexico honors the Treaty,” Trump wrote.
The 1944 treaty requires Mexico to deliver a set amount of water from the Rio Grande to the United States over five-year cycles, while the U.S. provides water from the Colorado River to Mexico. The current cycle ends in October, and Mexico reportedly owes over 1.55 billion cubic meters of water.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded by saying her government is adhering to the treaty “to the extent of water availability,” citing prolonged drought in the Rio Grande basin. In a post on social media platform X, she said a “comprehensive proposal” had been submitted to the U.S. State Department and expressed optimism about reaching an agreement.
U.S. officials rejected a Mexican request for special water delivery on March 20 — the first such denial — amid growing frustrations among American farmers and lawmakers. Critics argue Mexico has consistently delayed deliveries until the end of each cycle and is now falling short.
In November, the two nations signed a side agreement aimed at improving delivery reliability and preventing shortages in the drought-stricken southern United States. Water deliveries have sparked civil unrest in Mexico before. In 2020, farmers in the northern state of Chihuahua clashed with authorities after seizing a dam to block water exports to the U.S., resulting in one death. Tensions are expected to intensify as the treaty deadline approaches and political pressure mounts on both sides of the border.
