View of the Zaragoza-Ysleta border bridge passing through El Paso, Texas. File photo strictly for representational purposes.
Mexico City: The border between Mexico and the United States cannot be modified by state-level government decisions, Mexico's Foreign Ministry said on Friday, adding that the boundary demarcation between the two nations must adhere to standards established by international treaties.
The Texas General Land Office, a U.S. state agency led by Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, has declared nine islands in the Rio Grande (known as the Rio Bravo in Mexico) property of the state of Texas.
In response, the ministry said that under the 1970 Mexico-U.S. Boundary Treaty, the international boundary in the river follows the center line of the normal channel and that line determines sovereignty over the land on either side, regardless of who previously held sovereignty over it.
The International Boundary and Water Commission is the body authorized by the two governments to carry out the treaty and has the power to determine on which side of the boundary each island lies, the ministry said, noting that no state-level government body has the authority to make such determinations.
It stressed that under the treaty, neither side may build works that the International Boundary and Water Commission finds could alter or obstruct the normal flow of the river.
The ministry said Mexico will closely monitor any actions in the area and reiterated that it will abide by the treaty governing the two countries' shared border and continue to pursue dialogue through established mechanisms.
