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United States President Donald Trump has raised tariffs by 5 percent connected imports from Mexico, accusing the state of failing to uphold a cross-border h2o treaty.
The tariff hike was revealed successful a societal media connection precocious connected Monday, arsenic tensions simmer betwixt the 2 North American neighbours.
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“Mexico continues to interruption our broad Water Treaty, and this usurpation is earnestly hurting our BEAUTIFUL TEXAS CROPS AND LIVESTOCK,” Trump wrote connected his platform, Truth Social.
“Mexico inactive owes the U.S implicit 800,000 acre-feet [986.8 cardinal cubic metres] of h2o for failing to comply with our Treaty implicit the past 5 years.”
The US president’s connection acceptable a request and a deadline. He called connected Mexico to merchandise 200,000 acre-feet of h2o — equivalent to 246 cardinal cubic metres — by December 31.
But the punitive tariffs, Trump added, are acceptable to statesman close away.
“As of now, Mexico is not responding, and it is precise unfair to our U.S. Farmers who merit this overmuch needed water,” Trump said.
“That is wherefore I person authorized documentation to enforce a 5% Tariff connected Mexico if this h2o isn’t released, IMMEDIATELY. The longer Mexico takes to merchandise the water, the much our Farmers are hurt.”
A long-running drought near parts of the Rio Grande cracked and adust successful August 2025 [File: Susan Montoya Bryan/AP Photo]Drought-stricken Mexico struggles
Trump’s demands are portion of a long-running quality implicit the 1944 Water Treaty, which governs the output of the waterways that spider crossed the borderline portion — namely the Rio Grande, the Colorado River and their tributaries.
Under the presumption of the treaty, each year, the US indispensable let Mexico to person 1.5 cardinal acre-feet of water, oregon 1.85 cardinal cubic metres, from waterways streaming south.
In return, Mexico lets astatine slightest 350,000 acre-feet, oregon 431 cardinal cubic metres, travel northward to the US.
But years of drought person near Mexico successful crisis. According to a 2024 study from the North American Drought Monitor, an intergovernmental agency, much than 75 percent of Mexico is experiencing “moderate to exceptional” drought levels.
That is the highest recorded level since 2011. As a result, Mexico officials person warned they cannot conscionable the standards inked successful the eight-decade-old treaty.
But cultivation interests successful the borderline authorities of Texas are pressuring US lawmakers to act, saying the decreased h2o proviso has withered their businesses.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, is among those who person pledged to champion the farmers’ cause.
“Mexico indispensable beryllium held accountable for their continued breaches of our long-standing h2o agreement,” Abbott said successful a quality merchandise past month.
“Because of their signifier of neglect, Texas farmers are enduring preventable hardship and an erosion of the cultivation viability of the Rio Grande Valley.”
A household takes a locomotion successful the Rio Grande’s adust riverbed successful Albuquerque, New Mexico, connected August 21 [Susan Montoya Bryan/AP Photo]A h2o ‘debt?’
The contented has been an ongoing root of cross-border strife. In 2020, hopeless farmers successful Mexico went truthful acold arsenic to instrumentality implicit a dam successful the borderline authorities of Chihuahua to forestall the “water payments” from flowing to the US, portion their crops shrivelled.
Mexico’s shortage nether the 1944 Water Treaty has continued to turn since then, starring to what the US considers a h2o “debt”.
The US claims it is owed hundreds of millions of cubic metres of h2o from the treaty’s past five-year cycle.
Monday, however, was not the archetypal clip Trump has wielded economy-buckling tariffs arsenic a means of enforcing compliance. In April, helium made a akin threat.
“We volition support escalating consequences, including TARIFFS and, possibly adjacent SANCTIONS, until Mexico honors the Treaty, and GIVES TEXAS THE WATER THEY ARE OWED,” helium wrote connected Truth Social.
One period earlier, successful March, the Trump medication besides denied Mexico’s petition for a peculiar transportation of Colorado River h2o to the drought-stricken borderline metropolis of Tijuana.
It was the archetypal clip since the h2o pact was signed that the US had taken specified an action.
“Mexico’s continued shortfalls successful its h2o deliveries nether the 1944 water-sharing pact are decimating American agriculture — peculiarly farmers successful the Rio Grande valley,” the US State Department said successful a statement.
“As a result, contiguous for the archetypal time, the U.S. volition contradict Mexico’s non-treaty petition for a peculiar transportation transmission for Colorado River h2o to beryllium delivered to Tijuana.”
In response, the Mexican authorities denied violating the 1944 treaty. Instead, it said it supplied what it could successful the look of utmost h2o shortages.
“We person experienced 3 years of drought, and to the grade that h2o has been available, Mexico has been fulfilling its obligations,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said.
Farmers protestation against a projected h2o instrumentality extracurricular the Chamber of Deputies successful Mexico City connected December 3 [Claudia Rosel/AP Photo]A caller deal, a caller dilemma
Ultimately, the 2 countries ended the impasse connected April 28, with a new deal to modulate cross-border h2o flow.
According to the US, the statement required Mexico to instantly merchandise h2o from planetary reservoirs.
It besides stipulated that Mexico would boost the magnitude of h2o flowing from the Rio Grande northwards done the extremity of the past five-year cycle, which expired successful precocious October.
Mexico has claimed it fulfilled those requirements. But Texas lawmakers said the state fell acold short, and immoderate privation the shortage to rotation implicit into the adjacent five-year cycle.
Because of a 43-day-long authorities shutdown successful the US, it is unclear however overmuch h2o passed crossed the borderline during the extremity of that five-year period. Only preliminary information is available.
Still, the Texas Commission connected Environmental Quality (TCEQ), a authorities agency, has petitioned the Trump medication to instrumentality action.
“Economic losses from delayed h2o deliveries cannot beryllium recovered,” TCEQ Commissioner Tonya Miller said successful a November statement.
Meanwhile, successful Mexico, the Sheinbaum medication faced home unit to loosen h2o restrictions connected section farmers.
Just this month, farmers poured successful from the countryside to signifier a blockade with their tractors successful beforehand of Mexico’s Congress, arsenic a protestation against a caller measure that would tighten the pat connected their water.
River flows are not the lone constituent of hostility betwixt the 2 countries: Trump has pushed for a crackdown connected cross-border cause trafficking and migration, portion Sheinbaum has warned against US threats to Mexico’s sovereignty.
But portion Sheinbaum has mostly managed to support relations dependable with Trump, determination are signals that their enslaved whitethorn beryllium fraying.
“ Let maine conscionable enactment it this way,” Trump said past month. “I americium not blessed with Mexico.”
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