HARLINGEN, Texas (Border Report) — Several Texas lawmakers have asked President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary to State to help urge Mexico to pay the water it owes the United States.

Republican U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and U.S. Reps. Monica De La Cruz and Tony Gonzales, as well as Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez on Tuesday sent Secretary of State nominee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, a letter asking him to use his influence with Mexico to prompt payments of water under the 1944 international treaty.

”Mexico has failed to uphold the spirit of the treaty,” they wrote. ”Without consistent deliveries, water shortages significantly impact agricultural stakeholders in South Texas, greatly straining Texas farmers and ranchers and jeopardizing their livelihoods and economic stability.”

“Your leadership can critically reinforce the importance that Mexico provides consistent water deliveries pursuant to the treaty. We request a renewed effort to negotiate fair provisions guaranteeing Mexico provide annual water deliveries, similar to the annual deliveries required by America to Mexico in the same treaty,” the letter says.

Under the 1944 treaty, Mexico must pay the United States 1.75 million acre-feet of water in five-year cycles. The current cycle ends in October and Mexico has only paid about a quarter the amount — 434,198 acre-feet as of Jan. 11 — according to the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission.

The lawmakers acknowledge recent efforts to recoup the water by U.S. IBWC Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner, including amending the treaty (called a minute) to allow accelerated water ownership transfers from Mexico to the United States within the Amistad and Falcon Reservoirs, and the issuance of water “credits” from the United States to Mexico to incentivize early water deliveries, and Mexico providing water from the San Juan and Alamo Rivers.

However, they say it is not enough.

“While these revisions are a step forward, they do not guarantee timely, reliable and consistent compliance with the treaty, and so the risk of water shortages for Americans remains,” they wrote.

Lack of water payments, population growth and prolonged drought caused the state’s only sugar mill to shut down in January 2024, taking 500 jobs in Hidalgo and Cameron counties.

Hidalgo County declared a state of emergency due to water shortages, and several municipalities have enacted water restrictions to save water.

Meanwhile, area citrus crops remain threatened as growers say they do not have enough water.

De La Cruz, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, on Thursday announced she has re-filed three bills related to helping agriculture producers in South Texas.

This includes the Texas Agricultural Producers Assistance Act that would address economic losses suffered by Texas growers because of a lack of water payments by Mexico and require the Secretary of Agriculture to submit to Congress a report on available assistance to agricultural producers who have suffered economic losses in the state of Texas.

Gonzales also originally was a co-sponsor of this bill in 2024.

De La Cruz says passage of the bill is “essential to protecting the future of farming in Texas.”

Another bill De La Cruz re-filed, the Southern Border Farmers and Ranchers Protection Act, would authorize payments under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to assist farmers and ranchers with repairing farming infrastructure and land along the southern border caused by criminal activity.

“These bills are essential to protecting the future of farming in Texas,” De La Cruz said in a statement. “Farmers have been devastated financially by the lack of water payments from Mexico and destruction of their land by illegal immigrants and cartels.”

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.