America
Water War Crushing Texas Farmers
Of icials charge Mexico with reneging on 80-year-old treaty.
A BY MATTHEW LYSIAK
water rights dispute between the united States and Mexico has forced many Texas farm- ers out of business as calls increase for federal government intervention before the agricultural
community faces a point of no return. According to offi cials, the crisis stems from Mexico’s fail-
ure to uphold its commitment under an 80-year-old treaty to share water. The U.S. and Mexico share
the Colorado River and the Rio Grande. Under the deal, Mexico agreed to deliver an average of 350,000 acre-feet of water per year from its tributary rivers to replen- ish the Rio Grande. However, in the past four years,
it has provided signifi cantly less or none, causing serious challenges for farming communities that rely on this water to irrigate their crops. Texas Agriculture Commis-
sioner Sid Miller tells Newsmax that farmers are shutting down at a rate of one per week, causing devastation across whole sectors. “Last February, we lost our entire sugar cane industry,”
says Miller. “When our last sugar cane plant closed, it result- ed in the loss of 500 jobs, which was due to the lack of water deliveries from Mexico.” Miller and other state offi cials say that if relief doesn’t
arrive soon, the state’s citrus industry, primarily located in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, could face a similar fate. The Water Treaty for the Utilization of Waters of the
Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande was signed on Feb. 3, 1944. Its purpose was to equally distribute water from the inter-
national section of the Rio Grande, stretching from Fort Quitman, Texas, to the Gulf of Mexico, between the two countries. The treaty functions on a fi ve-year cycle, with the current deadline for water deliveries set for October 2025. Mexico is so behind in its deliveries that it is statistically impossible for it to meet its requirements. In May, 10 lawmakers, including Texas GOP Sens. John
Cornyn and Ted Cruz, urged congres- sional appropriators to withhold funds from Mexico due to its failure to fulfi ll its obligations under the agreement. Texas Rep. Monica De La Cruz
argued that Mexico’s actions amount to a “national security threat.” “The lack of water means that our citrus farmers are
DE LA CRUZ
unable to grow the crops that they should be able to grow. What that means to not only the people in South Texas but all Americans is that citrus prices will also increase, as well,” De La Cruz said. “This really is a national security issue when we cannot feed our people, when we can- not feed Americans. Food secu- rity truly is national security.” Despite the request, fund-
ing from U.S. taxpayers to Mexico has continued without interruption. According to the Govern-
ment Accountability Office, since 2008, the United States has provided over $3 billion in assistance to Mexico aimed at addressing transnational organized crime and violence, enhancing the rule of law, and
reducing drug traffi cking. Statements from public offi cials give no indication that a
solution is forthcoming. In April 2023, former Mexican President Andrés Manuel
López Obrador stated that ensuring access to water for all Mexican residents would be a top priority. Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is expected
to take a similar “Mexico fi rst” approach. Miller argues that U.S. authorities could and should have
taken action in the mid-1990s, when Mexico “dammed up all the rivers and tributaries that fl ow into the Rio Grande.” A severe drought in the region has heightened the sense of
urgency. In July 2024, water levels in the Rio Grande Basin were over 5 feet below the previous record set in August 2022. Miller is optimistic that Texas farmers will experience improvements in their fortunes under the new Trump administration. “The Biden administration has done absolutely zero to
help farmers in Texas or enforce this treaty. There is a feel- ing that under Trump, all that is going to change,” he says.
JANUARY 2025 | NEWSMAX 23
MAP/
INSIDECLIMATENEWS.ORG
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