Drone footage of the Morelos Dam, which diverts Colorado River water into the Mexicali Valley, as the Mexican government announces immediate water supplies to Texas farmers to address treaty water shortages that have strained U.S.-Mexico relations and prompted tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, April 10, 2025, in Los Algodones, Mexico.
Victor Medina | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Monday accused Mexico of violating water-sharing treaties with neighboring countries and threatened to impose a 5% tariff on the country unless it immediately provides more water to support U.S. farmers.
Under the treaty, Mexico must send 1.75 million acre-feet of water from the Rio Grande to the United States every five years through a network of interconnected dams and reservoirs.
President Trump said in a social media post that Mexico “owes” the United States 800,000 acre-feet of water due to treaty violations over the past five years.
He called on Mexico to release 200,000 acre-feet of water by Dec. 31 and more “soon thereafter.”
President Trump said water shortages are hurting crops and livestock in Texas.
“At this point, Mexico is not responding, and it is deeply unfair to American farmers, who deserve this much-needed water,” Trump said. “That is why we have approved a document that will impose a 5% tariff on Mexico if this water is not released immediately.”
A spokesperson for Mexico’s Ministry of Economy did not respond to a request for comment.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in April that Mexico had agreed to increase water shipments to Texas to make up for the shortfall under the 1944 treaty.
Mexico claims it is in a drought and its water resources are under strain.
