The U.S. Department of State announced that, for the first time, the United States will deny a non-treaty request from Mexico for a special delivery channel for Colorado River water to Tijuana. The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs stated that Mexico's ongoing shortfalls in water deliveries under the 1944 water-sharing treaty are severely impacting American agriculture, especially in the Rio Grande Valley.
According to the 1944 treaty, Mexico is obligated to transfer water to the United States every five years from two shared dams along the Texas border. While Mexico's foreign ministry did not respond immediately to the denial, President Claudia Sheinbaum called the issue significant and stated that it is being addressed by the national water agency, Conagua, and the International Boundary and Water Commission (CILA), which oversees the treaty.