McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, gave a fiery speech on the House floor Wednesday urging her fellow lawmakers to withhold funds to Mexico until it sends the water it owes to South Texas and the United States.
“If we cannot save our farmers, then Mexico does not deserve to have any money appropriated to them,” De La Cruz said in a five-minute speech.
De La Cruz also called out U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. International Boundary and Water Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner for not doing enough to force Mexico to comply with the 1944 international treaty that obligates Mexico to pay the United States a certain amount of water during five-year cycles.
“We need to use every tool that we have available to force Mexico to abide by the treaty. We want our water. We demand our water,” said the first-term representative from the South Texas border town of McAllen.
As Mexico’s water debt to the U.S. increases, water levels in the Rio Grande go down creating islands in the river. (Sandra Sanchez/Border Report)
Mexico has paid barely one year’s worth of water during the current cycle ending in October 2025. And experts don’t believe the country will be able to meet its debt by the deadline.
That is affecting communities especially hard up and down the South Texas border.
Hidalgo County has declared a drought disaster due to a lack of rain and prolonged water owed to the region by Mexico.
The state’s only sugar mill, in Santa Rosa, shut down in February because sugar growers did not have enough water to grow the thirsty crops.
On Monday night, the Laredo City Council voted to enact mandatory drought restriction measures should Amistad Reservoir fall below 25% capacity and city usage exceed a certain amount.
Capacity at Amistad Reservoir, outside Del Rio, Texas, hovered just above that on Wednesday at 27.8%. But capacity at Falcon Reservoir, which provides water to the lower Rio Grande Valley, including McAllen, was at a record low 8.8%, according to the Texas Water Development Board.
“Farmers and ranchers across South Texas remain under continued financial strain and could suffer a similar fate as the sugar industry, should Mexico continue withholding water. Additionally, the lack of reliable water delivery affects municipalities and threatens the quality of life for many American citizens living along our border,” read a May 10 letter sent by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including De La Cruz, to House and Senate leaders.
In May 2023, Cornyn sent a letter to Blinken urging the U.S. State Department to engage in Mexico’s violation of the intent of the treaty.
In November, a House resolution co-sponsored by De La Cruz and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, urging U.S. diplomatic relations to persuade Mexico to release water, passed the House.
Last month, De La Cruz was among a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers who spoke with Blinken about a lack of water payments and the escalating drought and water crisis along the border.
She had told Border Report that she was encouraged by their discussion and she had expected another talk within a week.
But she says despite repeated phone calls and emails sent to his office, he has not responded to further conversations, nor suggested ways to force Mexico to pay water to the border region.
“I was left with the impression that he saw this just as important, as we did in South Texas. However, our attempts to have follow-up meetings with the secretary have proven unsuccessful,” De La Cruz said Wednesday. “I am encouraging not only Secretary Blinken, but the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, the IBWC to start making this a priority.”
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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