President Donald Trump has had enough of Mexico stiffing American farmers—and he’s bringing out the big guns to stop it. In a fiery post on Truth Social Thursday, Trump warned Mexico that the days of them violating the 1944 Water Treaty without consequence are over. If they don’t deliver the water they owe, the tariffs—and maybe even sanctions—are coming.
Under the treaty, Mexico is obligated to send 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. over a five-year cycle. But Mexico has fallen behind, owing at least 1.3 million acre-feet. That’s water South Texas farmers desperately need to survive—and without it, their crops are dying, their businesses are shuttering, and their future is on the line.
Trump didn’t mince words: “This is very unfair, and it is hurting South Texas Farmers very badly. Last year, the only Sugar Mill in Texas CLOSED, because Mexico has been stealing the water from Texas Farmers.”
And who was asleep at the wheel while American agriculture suffered? Joe Biden, of course. “Ted Cruz has been leading the fight to get South Texas the water it is owed, but Sleepy Joe refused to lift a finger to help the Farmers. THAT ENDS NOW!” Trump declared.
Trump is already taking bold action. Just last month, he halted water shipments to Tijuana—a powerful move to show Mexico he means business. “My Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, is standing up for Texas Farmers, and we will keep escalating consequences, including TARIFFS and, maybe even SANCTIONS, until Mexico honors the Treaty,” Trump said.
For decades, the 1944 treaty maintained a fragile balance over Rio Grande water. But under the Biden administration, Mexico repeatedly flouted the rules—just like they’ve done on trade, immigration, and border security. Meanwhile, America’s third-largest citrus state is getting scorched. With severe drought conditions, farmers across the Rio Grande Valley are on the brink. Fields once bursting with grapefruit and sugarcane now lie parched and abandoned.
This isn’t just about water—it’s about sovereignty. It’s about holding foreign governments accountable when they break their promises. And it’s about putting American farmers first.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz has been a leading voice in the Senate, demanding that Mexico face consequences. “Texas farmers are in crisis because of Mexico’s noncompliance,” Cruz posted to X. He praised the administration’s latest move, calling it “excellent” and vowing to “work with the Trump administration to pressure Mexico into complying and to get water to Texas farmers.”
The State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs also issued a rare rebuke of Mexico, announcing that—for the first time ever—the U.S. had denied Mexico’s request for Colorado River water to be delivered to Tijuana.
“Mexico’s continued shortfalls in its water deliveries under the 1944 water-sharing treaty are decimating American agriculture,” the bureau stated. It’s about time Washington remembered who it’s supposed to be fighting for.
As Trump leads the charge, Texans are finally seeing leadership that fights for them—not for foreign bureaucrats, not for environmental radicals, and certainly not for corrupt treaty violators south of the border.
America First means standing up for the farmers who feed this country. It means enforcing our treaties, defending our land, and punishing those who break their word.
President Trump is drawing the line at the Rio Grande—and Mexico better start paying what it owes.