Thank you for joining me virtually for the 2026 NADBank Summit. I really wish I could be with you in person. I love when I get across to San Antonio. I hope you all have a chance to enjoy some of the city culture and food today. I also want to recognize two of my personal friends. Who are they? Ambassador Roberto Lazzeri and Deputy Assistant Secretary Ricardo Pita.
One of my top priorities has consistently been to strengthen our almost 2,000-mile border. Under the leadership of President Trump and the collaboration of President Sheinbaum, we have worked successfully together to make it more secure than it has been any other time in history. It is absolutely closed to migration, to narcotics, to fentanyl and to human trafficking. It is open to legitimate trade, to the people like you who lawfully work in both countries.
A border isn't simply a line between two nations. It's home to millions of people who live and work in the area, those who build businesses, who raise families, and who create opportunities on both sides of the border.
And people, they do that every single day. As former Texas governor and secretary of energy Rick Perry once told me, people who live along our border, they don't just live together; they work together, they play together, they marry each other, and yes, sometimes they even argue with each other. That's just what neighbors do.
And that's what makes this region so strong. The U.S.-Mexico border is one of the world's most dynamic economic regions. Today, our countries are each other's largest trading partners, with nearly a trillion dollars in trade every year.
But along with tremendous opportunity, there are some shared challenges too, and water is one of those. Water security is also economic security. It impacts our farmers and ranchers, our families, businesses, the energy production, and the future of communities on both sides of the border. We've already shown what cooperation can accomplish, but there's a lot more work ahead.
From addressing wastewater on the Tijuana River to making progress on our shared water commitments, we're achieving results that seemed impossible just a few years ago. And we're getting better at it. Under President Trump's leadership, Mexico has moved more water under the 1944 Water Treaty during the Sheinbaum administration's first year than the previous four years combined. And Mexico is working on making up the water deficit left over from the previous years. This has helped address longstanding shortfalls in Mexico's Rio Grande water deliveries to the United States, and has provided much-needed water to Texas farmers. Mexico is committed to deliver at least 350,000 acre-feet of water every year of the current five-year cycle, and they continue to work towards eliminating the prior deficit. We're very grateful to Mexico for that.
Meanwhile, the landmark U.S.-Mexico agreement is advancing a permanent solution to the Tijuana River sewage crisis without additional costs to US taxpayers.
Despite all these advancements, drought is putting greater and greater pressure on South Texas farmers and communities across the border region. Every acre-foot water we conserve strengthens agricultural production and protects our producers. And when we protect producers, we also protect our consumers. That's why NADBank's new Water Resiliency Fund is so important. It represents one of the most significant new investments in border water security in many years by financing innovative conservation and diversification projects, particularly in South Texas. This will help communities confront drought, protect agriculture, and secure water for future generations.
And this is exactly the kind of forward-looking investment we all need. NADBank demonstrates what happens when the United States and Mexico bring together federal, state, and local governments with financial institutions, communities, and with the private sector. Together, we solve problems. We move faster and more efficiently, and we deliver results. Every investment in resilient water infrastructure strengthens our communities, our agriculture, trade, and it strengthens our competitiveness as North Americans.
Under President Trump and President Sheinbaum, we have an opportunity to build on that progress, to make our shared border is not only more secure but more efficient, more prosperous, and more resilient. So thank you for your partnership. Thank you for what you all do, and I wish you all a very successful summit.
May God bless you. May God bless the United States of America, and may God guide us to a closer, stronger, and mutually beneficial relationship as the world's two most important neighbors.
Thank you very much.
Editor’s Note: The above remarks were delivered by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson at the 2026 NADBank Summit via video.
