Fox News Exposes El Paso’s Drainage System Used for Smuggling
Brooke Taylor sheds light on the concealed world of underground stormwater systems in El Paso, Texas, which cartels exploit to unlawfully transport immigrants from Mexico into the U.S. She highlights the perilous conditions faced by migrants in the hot, dark, and narrow tunnels. Recently, smugglers have begun charging migrants between $20,000 and $30,000 for passage through these confined spaces.
Despite President Donald Trump’s strict border enforcement, cartels are still utilizing El Paso’s extensive network of stormwater tunnels for smuggling people and drugs.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) specialized confined space entry team offered an exclusive glimpse into the narrow tunnels that stretch for miles in the area.
There are 32 tunnel entrances from the Rio Grande and hundreds of exits throughout the city. Team members described patrolling the tunnels as akin to a game of “whack-a-mole,” given that smugglers can emerge from storm drains at any moment. CBP noted that detecting and stopping smugglers in these covert routes is much more challenging for Border Patrol agents. Still, they employ technology to monitor underground movements, track entry points, and position teams to disrupt smuggling attempts.
Team members expressed that the most significant challenges include enduring the heat and spending time in the dense, low-oxygen air of the tunnels. One member said, “By the time we encounter a cartel smuggler, they’re already exhausted and ready for a confrontation.”
According to the team, the number of migrants smuggled through these tunnels has significantly decreased during the Trump administration; previously, groups of 40 to 60 would traverse the tunnels, but now encounters typically involve only two to three people at a time.
However, smugglers haven’t been entirely stopped. The report indicated that cartels have raised prices for those seeking to take the tunnel route, with fees ranging from $20,000 to $30,000 per individual.
CBP mentioned that smugglers are increasingly leveraging social media to recruit and train guides. The underground conditions are risky due to poor air quality and extreme heat, especially with summer temperatures in El Paso frequently hitting over 100 degrees.
To tackle these issues, CBP’s elite team receives specialized training focused on underground operations, monitoring oxygen levels, and safely navigating the tunnels.
This exclusive report from Fox News coincided with a recent announcement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that June marked the 14th consecutive month without border releases, highlighting what they termed a “historically low trend in border crossings.”
Despite this, DHS states that daily apprehensions at the border have plummeted by 94% since the Biden administration took office. Meanwhile, CBP has also broken staffing records this spring, hitting a total of 21,471 agents, the highest in the agency’s 102-year history.
