De La Cruz, Valley ag leaders push to tie Mexico water treaty to USMCA renewal

MISSION — U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, joined Rio Grande Valley agricultural leaders Friday to urge the public to support including the 1944 U.S.–Mexico water treaty in the potential renewal of the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA).

The 1944 water-sharing treaty requires Mexico to deliver about 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the United States over the course of a five-year cycle. That cycle ends Oct. 24, and Mexico is on track to fall far short of its obligation. U.S. advocates say that’s nothing new. They describe the treaty as essentially toothless.

The USMCA agreement replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement in 2020 and could be renewed next year. The USMCA isn’t a toothless document. 

Advocates say it has dispute and penalty mechanisms that could finally force Mexico to honor its water obligations.