Overview
- Trump tied a 5% tariff threat to Mexico delivering 246.6 million cubic meters under the 1944 water treaty before the year ends.
- Mexico says it is negotiating within the treaty to meet obligations without harming human consumption or farmers, with border-state governors working on a gradual delivery plan.
- Extraordinary drought in 2022–2023 left an accumulated deficit of roughly one billion cubic meters, and the 2020–2025 cycle ended with Mexico delivering less than half of its quota.
- The treaty allocates two‑thirds of specified Rio Grande tributary flows to Mexico over five‑year cycles and guarantees Mexico 1,850 million cubic meters annually from the Colorado River.
- Experts from the Mexican Water Advisory Council describe the tariff threat as a pressure tactic to undermine the accord while urging Mexico to assign the required volumes more promptly.