Río Rico, Tamaulipas: Difference between revisions

In 1845, the Rio Grande was established as the border between Mexico and the U.S. territorystate of Texas. The river has many [[Meander|meanders]], which result in "fingers" of land that are nearly surrounded by territory of the other country, such as the Horcón Tract, a {{convert|413|acre|km2|adj=on}} finger that was surrounded by the river (and Mexico) except for a narrow connection at its northeastendnortheast end. (The zig-zag of the river formed a reciprocal tract in Mexico, connected at its southwest end.)

In July 1906, the American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company, anas Americana company,measure asto aregulate flood-controlthe measureriver's water flow for irrigation purposes, dug a [[Meander cutoff|cutoff]] to shorten the course of the river]], thus bypassing the tract.<ref name="tshaonline" /> The diversion was unauthorized, and the company was eventually taken to court by the U.S. and finedMexican landowners. In December, but1907, the diversioncompany was fined $10,000, ordered to convey its ownership of land in the riverHorcón wasTract allowedto the landowners, and ordered to standpay ifdamages and costs of $7,200<ref>{{cite web|title=Proceedings relating to the companydiversion placedof boundaryRio markersGrande by American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation|publisher= U.S. Department of State|url=https://archive.org/download/proceedingsrelat01inte/proceedingsrelat01inte.pdf|pages=35, 55–57}}</ref><ref name="Cook p. 300">{{harvnb|Cook|1998|p=300}}</ref> The diversion of the river, being practically impossible to reverse, was allowed to stand. The land was agreed to remain American territory, in accordance with thean [[International Boundary and Water Commission#The border and water treaties|1884 border treaty]], under the principle of [[international law]] that only natural changes in the course of a river affect borders.<ref name="tshaonline" /><ref name="Cantu">''[https://www.justice.gov/eoir/vll/intdec/vol17/2748.pdf Matter of Cantu]'' 17 Immigration & Naturalization Dec. 190, 190-91 ([[Board of Immigration Appeals|BIA]], 1978)</ref> under the principle of [[international law]] that only natural changes in the course of a river affect borders.<ref name="tshaonline" />

However, the former riverbed dried up rather than forming an [[oxbow lake]], and the company never put up border markers,<ref name="Cook p. 300" /> leaving the tract barely distinguishable from the adjacent Mexican territory. SomethingDue to the [[Prohibition in the United States|prohibition of alcohol]] in the U.S., something of a resort destination grew up there during the 1920s and 1930s, with free-flowing liquor and gambling.<ref name="mysanantonio.com">{{cite web|last=Castillo, Mariano|date=June 20, 2004|title=Border town's story has more twists than Rio Grande|url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA062004.1A.RioRico.1aa310cb.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207080816/http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA062004.1A.RioRico.1aa310cb.html|archive-date=February 7, 2008|access-date=December 31, 2009|publisher=Rio Grande Valley Bureau}}</ref> In 1929, the Mexican village of Río Rico was founded near the tract, and as the Rio Grande changed its course after floods, the settlement was progressively pushedmoved into it.<ref name="Cantu" /> The residents, being mostly of Mexican heritage, accepted the authority of the Mexican government, and all parties generally acted as if the tract were Mexican territory.<ref name="tshaonline">{{cite web |date= 2009 |url = http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hrr53|title = Rio Rico, Texas|publisher = [[Handbook of Texas]]| access-date = December 31, 2009 | last= McDonald, Laurier B. }}</ref>

The discrepancy was brought to light decades later. The [[Boundary Treaty of 1970]] provided for the Horcón Tract to become part of Mexico upon the completion of two new flood control projects. In 1972 the United States officially ceded the tract of land to Mexico, and it was formally annexed by the [[Mexican state|state]] of [[Tamaulipas]].<ref name="tshaonline" /> The formal handover took place in 1977. After one former resident filed a lawsuit to prevent the [[Immigration and Naturalization Service|United States Immigration and Naturalization Service]] from deporting him, the [[Board of Immigration Appeals]] ruled that all residentspeople born in Río Rico between 1906 and 1972 could claim USU.S. [[Birthright citizenship in the United States|citizenship by birthright]].<ref name="Scott pp. 13–21">{{harvnb|Miller|1985|pp=13–21}}</ref><ref>[https://www.justice.gov/eoir/vll/intdec/vol17/2748.pdf ''Matter of Cantu''], 17 Immigration & Naturalization Dec. 190, 194 (BIA 1978)("''Either the Government has established, ... that the respondent is an alien, or it has not; if it has not, it is not incumbent upon this Board to go the additional step of determining whether he is also a citizen. That determination can be left to some future date and some other process.''")</ref> As a result, a large portion of the village's population moved to the United States proper.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rohter, Larry|date=September 26, 1987|title=South of Border Was Once North|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/26/world/south-of-border-was-once-north.html|accessdate=November 11, 2013|work=[[New York Times]]|quote=}}</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okljAsg5Dy4</ref><ref name="nytimes.September.26.1987">{{cite web |date= September 26, 1987|url = https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/26/world/south-of-border-was-once-north.html|title = South of Border Was Once North|work = [[New York Times]]| access-date = December 31, 2009 | last=Rohter, Larry }}</ref>

* [[Chamizal dispute|Chamizal]], Texas