President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico struck a conciliatory tone on Tuesday in response to President Trump’s threats of additional tariffs over a long-running dispute between the two nations over water.
Mr. Trump said on Monday that he would place an additional 5 percent tariff on Mexican imports if Mexico didn’t release 200,000 acre-feet of water, or about 65 billion gallons, to the United States by the end of the year. He said Mexico owed more than 260 billion gallons under a 1944 treaty mediating the distribution of water from the Rio Grande, Colorado and Tijuana rivers.
Ms. Sheinbaum told reporters on Tuesday that she would find a solution “that does not put the population and agricultural production in Mexico at risk, but that can also help the United States.”
She added that it was impossible to immediately deliver the water Mr. Trump requested because of physical constraints, including the size of the pipe that carries water to the Rio Grande.
“It is not a matter of ill will on Mexico’s part,” Ms. Sheinbaum said.
The 1944 treaty states that in the event of extraordinary drought, such as the one Mexico experienced in 2023 and 2024, the pending water volume can be delivered in the ensuing five-year cycle, which begins next year. This year, abundant rainfall enabled Mexico to deliver more water than required, but it remains behind on its requirements under the treaty.
U.S. and Mexican officials met on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the issue. Brooke Rollins, the U.S. secretary of agriculture, and Roberto Velasco Álvarez, Mexico’s acting foreign minister, participated, the fifth such meeting about the issue this year, Mexico said.
In April, Mr. Trump also threatened to raise tariffs over the issue. Ms. Sheinbaum responded by transferring some of Mexico’s water reserves and agreeing to provide a larger flow of water through October. Mr. Trump didn’t impose the tariffs.
Emiliano Rodríguez Mega is a reporter and researcher for The Times based in Mexico City, covering Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
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