Trump's Texas border wall hits a snag in Falcon Lake

ZAPATA — A few days before a late winter bass fishing tournament, a steady stream of anglers backed their motorboats into the chilly waters of Falcon Lake and zipped away in hopes of finding a lucky spot among the lake’s many inlets and islands.

The largemouth bass are almost always biting in this 154-square mile reservoir, the largest lake on the Rio Grande and in many ways the economic lifeblood of surrounding Zapata County.

Since it was created in 1953 with the construction of Falcon Dam, the bi-national lake has served as both a barrier and conduit between Mexico and Texas. But now that President Donald Trump is pushing for the construction of a wall or fence along the entire length of the border, some residents fear Falcon Lake could soon be surrounded by concrete.

As remote as it is, Zapata County, population 14,000, has not been sheltered from the violence of the drug war taking place on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake. An American jet skier was gunned down in 2010 — officials say the Zetas cartel was responsible. The county’s former sheriff was an early apostle of heightened border security, testifying before Congress in 2006 on the threat of spillover crime.

Read more: http://www.mystatesman.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/trump-texas-border-wall-hits-snag-falcon-lake/KTkMOSihmdRsOj5W0i1JvM/