Hidden Cross-Border Tunnel Used to Smuggle Migrants and Contraband to be Sealed
A 300-meter tunnel used to smuggle migrants and contraband between the US and Mexico will be sealed, Mexican border officials announced. The tunnel, located in a storm sewer system in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, was discovered last week and is believed to have taken at least a year to build. The tunnel was reinforced with wooden beams and equipped with lighting and ventilation.
Investigations are underway to determine whether local officials knew of the tunnel’s construction. The Mexican Attorney General’s Office has been tasked with investigating the matter. Security has been increased on both sides of the border ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump, who has vowed to launch mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
The discovery of the tunnel comes as the US and Mexico are under pressure to address the issue of undocumented migration. Mexico has been conducting its largest ever migrant crackdown, bussing and flying non-Mexican migrants to the country’s south, far from the US border. Trump has campaigned on a promise to seal the US-Mexico border and has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Mexican goods if the country does not do more to stop undocumented migrants from reaching the US border.
In response to Trump’s threats, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said she will ask the US to take action to stop the flow of weapons being smuggled from the US into Mexico. The tunnel’s discovery is a significant development in the ongoing efforts to address the issue of undocumented migration and border security.