U.S.-Mexico border secret tunnel to be sealed
The tunnel’s existence and location were discussed by human traffickers on social media platforms like TikTok
Daily TribuneThe tunnel’s existence and location were discussed by human traffickers on social media platforms like TikTok
A tunnel discovered on the US-Mexico border allowing entry from Ciudad Juarez into the Texan city of El Paso will be sealed by Mexican authorities, an official said
HERIKA MARTINEZ / AFP
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AFP) — A clandestine tunnel discovered on the United States (US)-Mexico border allowing entry from Ciudad Juarez into the Texan city of El Paso will be sealed by Mexican authorities, an army official said Saturday, adding that its construction was under investigation.
Discovered on 10 January by American and Mexican security agencies, the tunnel measures approximately 300 meters in length on the Mexican side and is equipped with lighting, ventilation and is reinforced to prevent collapses.
Hidden in a storm sewer system operating between both cities, its access is about 1.8 meters high and 1.2 meters wide, making for easy passage of people or contraband, said General Jose Lemus, commander of Ciudad Juarez’s military garrison, which is guarding the tunnel.
The tunnel’s construction “must have taken a long time... it could have been one or two years,” Lemus told reporters, declining to give details about how long it had been operating as well as its possible builders and operators.
He said the Mexican Attorney General’s Office was responsible for the investigation and would be in charge of determining if there was complicity by the authorities due to the fact that it was built without them noticing.
Lemus also said clues about the tunnel’s existence and location were discussed by human traffickers on social media platforms like TikTok.
Ahead of the US presidential inauguration of Donald Trump on Monday, both sides of the US-Mexico border have reinforced security measures, as the returning Republican has vowed a massive deportation of migrants soon after he takes office.
In the state of Chihuahua, which includes Ciudad Juarez, authorities reported a fire in a temporary camp for undocumented migrants, which led to the evacuation of 39 adults and 17 minors, according to the state police.
