President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Friday that Mexico will provide an immediate water delivery to farmers in Texas. This aims to address its shortfall under a treaty that has created tension in U.S. relations and prompted even more tariff threats by President Donald Trump.
Mexico’s inability to maintain its water deliveries sparked a diplomatic dispute with its largest trading partner at a sensitive time in relations between the two countries amid Trump’s escalating trade war with the U.S. neighbor.
Sheinbaum said in her daily news conference Friday that Mexico is looking for alternatives to comply with the 81-year-old water-sharing treaty with the U.S., and a proposal had already been sent to U.S. officials.
Late Thursday on Truth Social, Trump escalated the disagreement between the two countries by threatening tariffs or sanctions on Mexico if his demands were not met. Texas Republicans have also publicly accused Mexico of openly violating the treaty, which harms farmers reliant on water deliveries.
“For Texas farmers who are requesting water, there will be an immediate delivery of a certain number of millions of cubic meters that can be provided according to the water availability in the Rio Grande,” Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum did not specify how much water Mexico would send to Texas.
Under the 1944 treaty that established water-sharing between the two countries via a network of interconnected dams and reservoirs, Mexico is required to send 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. from the Rio Grande every five years. An acre-foot of water refers to the volume needed to cover an acre of land to a depth of one foot.
The treaty’s current five-year cycle ends in October, but Mexico has delivered less than 30 percent of the required water, according to data from the International Boundary and Water Commission.
Sheinbaum has said Mexico is complying with the treaty based on water availability, highlighting the drought conditions that have depleted Mexico’s supply. She expressed optimism for an agreement in the coming days and did not foresee further conflict. The treaty was “fair,” she added.
Mexican Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegue said on X Friday that he had a call with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau regarding Mexico’s commitment to comply with the treaty. He mentioned they discussed water deliveries for this year and irrigation technology in the northern states of Baja California, Chihuahua, and Tamaulipas.
Rollins posted a message on X later saying the call had been “productive””and praised Trump for being “willing to do what’s necessary to make it happen.”
Reuters, citing sources, reported on Wednesday that Mexican officials were scrambling to devise a plan to increase the amount of water sent to the United States due to growing concerns that Trump could involve the dispute in trade negotiations.
Mexico has agreed to deliver 122,000 acre-feet of water to the U.S. and is exploring an option to supply another 81,000 acre-feet, according to a Mexican official.
However, that additional water would still mean Mexico had sent less than 40% of the water it owes under the treaty.
With reporting from Reuters
