The diplomatic move after pressure from Texas
The stage was set for a new chapter of tension. A Republican senator from Texas, John Cornyn, demanded that Mexico’s alleged water debt be discussed in the USMCA negotiations. A move that could light the fuse.
But Claudia Sheinbaum came out in her morning conference. With the spotlight on him, he gave a master class in how to handle a potential crisis. He did not deny the problem, but he contextualized it.
“Well, if there is an agreement, perhaps the senator is not aware of it,” the president said calmly. And then he released the key fact: “In the last 5 years, Mexico was not able to deliver the amount of water, not because it did not want to, but because they were years of great drought.”
That’s the heart of the matter. It’s not ill will, it’s climate change hitting the region. The extreme drought we have experienced does not respect borders or treaties.
Plan B is already underway
Sheinbaum revealed that there is already a signed annex to reschedule the delivery. The water that could not be provided in the last cycle will be paid for in the following five-year period. But with one fundamental condition: without affecting human consumption or the Mexican countryside.
It is a very delicate balance. On the one hand, meet our neighbor. On the other hand, protect our people. The president mentioned that support has already been given to farmers in Coahuila affected by the same drought.
What remains to be defined now are minor logistical details.
“Right now it is being discussed whether they will be delivered in one week or delivered in the next two weeks,” Sheinbaum explained. “But there is an agreement for the delivery of water.”
Behind the scenes, a specialized team works: the chancellor, Roberto Velasco and the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). Sheinbaum also highlighted his good relationship with the border governors—Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Chihuahua and Coahuila.
In the end, what seemed like a political bombshell became an example of pragmatic diplomacy. The 1944 Treaty is still alive, adapting to new climate realities. And Mexico plays its cards without losing sovereignty or leaving its citizens unprotected.
The message to Washington is clear: we are complying, but under our conditions and respecting our priorities.
