Rio Rico, Texas
Encyclopedia
Rio Rico is a city near the Rio Grande
in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas
; it and the surrounding land were part of the US state
of Texas
(in Hidalgo County
) that was ceded by the United States
to Mexico
in 1970. This was one of only two cessions of land by the US to a foreign country after 1959.
The land was now physically south of the Rio Grande—the border between Mexico
and the U.S. since 1845—and Mexican authorities unknowingly assumed control of the area, which became known as the Horcón Tract. However, since the course change was due to man-made changes and not natural changes, international law
dictated that the land remained US territory, a fact that was not in dispute. Something of a resort town grew up there during the 1920s and 1930s, with free-flowing liquor and gambling.
The U.S. eventually ceded the territory to Mexico with the Boundary Treaty of 1970
, and it was formally annexed by the state of Tamaulipas
. The handover took place in 1977. After one local resident filed a lawsuit to prevent the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service from deporting him, the US courts ruled that all residents born in the city between 1906 and the 1977 handover could retain their US citizenship. The ruling emptied the city of residents as they were now able to move to other areas of the United States as full citizens.
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
; it and the surrounding land were part of the US state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(in Hidalgo County
Hidalgo County, Texas
Hidalgo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Located in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, Hidalgo County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, and is the seventh most-populous county in Texas. Its population in 2010 was 774,769, a 35% increase from 2000...
) that was ceded by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1970. This was one of only two cessions of land by the US to a foreign country after 1959.
History
In 1906, the Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company performed an unauthorized diversion of the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte), which moved a 413-acre (165 ha) tract of land, including Rio Rico, south of the river. The company was later fined, but the diversion of the river was allowed to stand if the company placed boundary markers, which it never did.The land was now physically south of the Rio Grande—the border between Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the U.S. since 1845—and Mexican authorities unknowingly assumed control of the area, which became known as the Horcón Tract. However, since the course change was due to man-made changes and not natural changes, international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
dictated that the land remained US territory, a fact that was not in dispute. Something of a resort town grew up there during the 1920s and 1930s, with free-flowing liquor and gambling.
The U.S. eventually ceded the territory to Mexico with the Boundary Treaty of 1970
Boundary Treaty of 1970
The 1970 Boundary Treaty between the United States and Mexico settled all then pending boundary disputes and uncertainties related to the Rio Grande border. The most significant dispute remaining after the Chamizal Settlement in 1963 involved the location of the boundary in the area of Presidio,...
, and it was formally annexed by the state of Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
. The handover took place in 1977. After one local resident filed a lawsuit to prevent the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service from deporting him, the US courts ruled that all residents born in the city between 1906 and the 1977 handover could retain their US citizenship. The ruling emptied the city of residents as they were now able to move to other areas of the United States as full citizens.
See also
- Historic regions of the United StatesHistoric regions of the United StatesThis is a list of historic regions of the United States.-Colonial era :-The Thirteen Colonies:* Connecticut Colony* Delaware Colony* Province of Georgia* Province of Maryland...
- Rio Grande border disputesRio Grande border disputesThe Rio Grande has changed course several times in recorded history, leading to a number of border disputes, both international and between individual U.S. states:...
- ChamizalChamizal disputeThe Chamizal dispute was a border conflict over about on the U.S.-Mexico border between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. It was caused by differences between the bed of the Rio Grande as surveyed in 1852 and the present channel of the river....
, Texas