The Colorado River. Photo: Gabriel Tovar / Unsplash

By KELIN DILLON

U.S. President Donald J. Trump once again threatened to levy more tariffs and other sanctions against Mexico on Thursday, April 10, over the Mexican government’s purported non-compliance with a 1944 water treaty – claims Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (Pardo) acknowledged as real and promised to fix with a new proposal.

On social media, Trump asserted that Mexico failed to provide Texas with 420 billion gallons of water from the Rio Grande, the Colorado and the Tijuana rivers that were designated to the U.S. state under the treaty’s provisions.

“Mexico has been stealing the water from Texas farmers,” the U.S. federal executive wrote. “We will keep escalating consequences, including TARIFFS and, maybe even SANCTIONS, until Mexico honors the Treaty, and GIVES TEXAS THE WATER THEY ARE OWED!”

According to figures from the International Boundary and Water Commission, Mexico only provided 400,000 acre-feet of water between October 2020 and October 2024 out of the 1.4 million acre-feet required by the treaty for the time period.

For her part, Sheinbaum conceded that Mexico has failed to uphold its end of the treaty provisions due to a years-long drought affecting Mexico’s water supply, but said that “to the extent of water availability, Mexico has been complying.”

“The International Boundary and Water Commission has continued working to identify solutions favorable to both countries,” added Sheinbaum.

CSP added that her administration sent a proposal to the U.S. government and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that contains “very short-term actions” to solve the bilateral water issue, saying that she believes “as with other issues, an agreement will be reached.”