Is Colombia-style narco violence spreading north into the United States? The symptoms are accumulating, because the porous southern border is little impediment to the war between the drug cartels now worsening in Mexico.

President Obama may be able to ignore a rancher murdered on his own property in Arizona, but if a couple of Congressmen get whacked by Mexican gangsters, that’s a whole new ball game. And the Zetas are particularly vicious, even for the rough neighborhood of Mexico. In 2005 for example, it was reported that the Zetas had established a terror training camp near Matamoros.

Zetas Threatening South Texas Lawmakers, KRGV-TV, Rio Grande Valley, Texas

Several South Texas lawmakers tell CHANNEL 5 NEWS they’ve received threats from Mexican drug cartels.

For safety reasons, the lawmakers didn’t want us to identify them. But a U.S. security source tells us the Zetas made the threats to intimidate lawmakers.

He adds it’s not likely the threats would be carried out, but lawmakers should take the threats seriously. We’re told the Zetas have the capability to kidnap officials.

Our source explains increased law enforcement at the border is making it tougher for the Zetas to preserve their drug and weapons smuggling routes into the United States. They don’t want lawmakers to send National Guard troops to the border. Troops would threaten the Zetas’ operations.

The security source tells us the threats are an act of desperation, but they may have the opposite effect the Zetas want. The more threats against lawmakers make it more likely the governor would send the National Guard to the border.