WASHINGTON — There is another controversy at the southern border and this one involves water. Texas farmers and ranchers are demanding that Mexico honor its obligations under a decades-old treaty to provide water to the U.S. They are putting pressure on the Biden administration to push the Mexican government to do more.
Mike England’s farmland in Mercedes, Texas, was once filled with thriving sugarcane fields, but no more.
“This is the worst of the years, because this year we have zero water to irrigate with,” England, owner of England Farm and Cattle Company, told Spectrum News.
The land is so dry, it has forced sugar mills in South Texas to close.
The lack of water is only partly because of a drought. Critics said Mexico has been slow in honoring an 80-year-old treaty that requires the country to deliver 1,750,000 acre-feet of water to the U.S. every five years.
Some water experts said Mexico has long dragged its feet in honoring its obligations under the 1944 treaty, but that the delays in recent years have been acute.
“In addition to having population growth, economic development, we also had some climatic changes in the region, which have been ongoing. We've had some prolonged droughts, quite a few of them,” said Gabriel Eckstein, professor of law and director of the energy, environmental, and natural resource systems law program at Texas A&M University,
“This has made water deliveries more challenging, I think, for both countries to deliver on their obligations, but especially for Mexico,” Eckstein continued.
On Capitol Hill, Texans in Congress are putting a spotlight on the crisis. Recently on the House floor, Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, said the water shortfall has “devastated the sugarcane industry” in Texas.
“Mexico's breach has not just jeopardized our agricultural heritage and the livelihood of over 500 workers, it also threatens our region's economy and national food security. The current situation is unsustainable,” De La Cruz said.
Texas lawmakers are also urging the State Department to pressure Mexico to release more water.
A spokesperson said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is working with the Senate appropriations committee to withhold a portion of Mexico’s funding under the State Department’s budget until Mexico delivers.
“We don't have an international, mandatory court or some kind of enforcement mechanism, and it becomes part of this negotiation dance between the two countries to try to get the other side to comply with the obligations,” Eckstein said.
Officials with the International Boundary and Water Commission, the binational group that is responsible for applying boundary and water treaties, told Spectrum News the two countries are currently negotiating and focused on ensuring deliveries are easier. The IBWC spokesperson said that Mexico intends to meet their treaty obligations and has cited its own water shortages in the northern part of the country.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said he is pushing for conservation measures on both sides of the border and more resources for IBWC. He said while it is critical to get Mexico’s attention, he cautions that it would be against U.S. interests to come down too hard. Cuellar likened such negotiations to walking a tight rope.
“We have to be aggressive, but not overly aggressive with the Mexicans, because the relationship that we have with Mexico is not only water, but it's on fighting drugs, and slowing down the migrants from coming to (Mexico's) northern border. So it's multi-dimensional, and that's why diplomacy plays a very important role,” Cuellar said.
“Remember, last year, we had over $863 billion of trade between the U.S. and Mexico,” he continued.
As the summer months approach, Texas farmers and ranchers are on edge. The sugarcane fields are dry, so what could be next?