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.

De La Cruz said Friday that tying the agreement to the treaty would be a historic feat.

“To take a treaty like the 1944 water treaty and attempt to put it into a larger agreement — which is the USMCA agreement — has not been done before. But, it will be done,” she said, adding that President Donald Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rawlins understand the importance of South Texas’ agricultural industry.

A plan for enforcement

Including the water treaty in the USMCA renewal isn’t a new idea.

De La Cruz has been calling for the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to include the treaty in the agreement’s framework since at least May. The agriculture industry has been supportive of the idea.

“By including the 1944 treaty under USMCA, the U.S. gains enforceable tools to protect both people and the environment through trade accountability,” Texas Citrus Mutual President Dale Murden said Friday.

De La Cruz said she is confident the treaty will be included in a renewed USMCA. She pointed to some progress, including a water concession from Mexico earlier this year. She also said she’s got the attention of the USTR.

“So they are listening. They are aware. Now they need to hear from our community, and we should have the goal of a million voices right here from the Rio Grande Valley,” she said.

Negotiations on the deal aren’t scheduled to formally begin until 2026, but early signs suggest those talks could get complicated.

Agricultural impact

Valley farmers, meanwhile, continue to feel the pinch.

Water shortages have been a chief factor in challenges impacting the Valley citrus industry, which reported a crop yield last year of less than half of its 20-year average and currently makes up only two-thirds of the acreage it did a decade ago.

Dante Galeazzi, President and CEO of the Texas International Produce Association, said Friday water shortages caused growers to plant 30% less fruits and vegetables over the past year, continuing a years-long trend.

“So that’s the third season in a row they’ve had to tell customers, ‘I’m sorry, I have nothing for you.’ That’s the third year in a row they’ve had to go to their banks and creditors and say, ‘Sorry, I’m gonna be short on my bills today,’” he said.

Put simply, Galeazzi said, the water crisis has Valley farmers wondering why they’re still even trying to farm. They’re running out of time.

So what solution would De La Cruz support if the treaty isn’t included in an agreement renewal?

She says that’s not a concern. 

“I don’t know anything but success,” De La Cruz said. “There is no other option but to win here.”

Reasons to speak up

De La Cruz and agricultural leaders urged residents to submit comments on the Federal Register website about the water issue.

They said Valley agriculture is a major industry with a significant impact on the local economy.

De La Cruz said the multimillion-dollar Valley sugar industry, which may have been killed by the water shortage, was an industry with over 500 jobs. Though efforts to revive the sugar mill in Santa Rosa are in the works. 

The Valley’s citrus orchards represent a $400 million industry.

Advocates said residents don’t need a direct tie to agriculture to care about the issue. Farmers may be the first to feel the effects, but cities are also being impacted and will continue to be, Murden said.

“This repeated shortfall by Mexico leaves Valley cities scrambling for emergency measures during droughts. Without guaranteed water, municipal systems cannot plan or invest for long-term viability,” he said.

Ultimately, Murden and other advocates described the water crisis as something more than a threat to an industry: he described it as a fundamental threat to the Valley’s ecosystem.

“The Rio Grande’s not just a water source; it’s a living ecosystem,” he said. “Reduced flows lead to dying wetlands, rising salinity, loss of fish and wildlife habitat. Healthy river systems mean cleaner water, stronger biodiversity, and sustainable communities across the Valley.”