Border Patrol rescues 54 migrants in Texas stash house 'living in deplorable conditions'

U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued 54 undocumented migrants at a stash house near El Paso, Texas this weekend, who were “living in deplorable conditions,” authorities said. 

Agents from the Border Patrol’s Santa Teresa Anti-Smuggling Unit found the migrants inside a single house in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, about 14 miles from El Paso and close to the border. 

Photos from the arrest show that several migrants had been staying in a single room with three mattresses for them to sleep. The room and the house were covered in trash and dirt. 

According to El Paso Sector Chief Anthony Good, six of the migrants had “prior removal orders and will be prosecuted accordingly,” said Border Patrol El Paso Sector Chief Anthony “Scott” Good.

#SantaTeresa Anti-Smuggling Unit, #ElPaso Sector Integrated Targeting Team & @txDPSWest encountered 54 migrants inside a local stash house living in deplorable conditions. 6 migrants were found to have prior removal orders and will be prosecuted accordingly. @CBP pic.twitter.com/HDDzHl8K3F

— Anthony “Scott” Good (@USBPChiefEPT) May 13, 2023

Border Patrol officials are warning that the number of migrants in stash houses might be more common after the pandemic-era immigration policy Title 42 was lifted last week. Without the policy that allowed officials to expel migrants without reviewing their asylum cases, authorities believe that up to 13,000 migrants could be crossing into the country every day. 

Last week, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Border Patrol found more than 140 undocumented immigrants held in two stash houses near El Paso. The migrants in the stash house came from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, according to authorities. 

Ysleta Station Anti-Smuggling Units foiled a smuggling scheme w/ @TxDPS involving 51 migrants located inside a local residence. Subsequent interviews led to another stash house w/95 more migrants, totaling 146 migrants intercepted. That’s over 130 stash houses this FY23YTD! @CBP pic.twitter.com/gBKW2atDWE

— Anthony “Scott” Good (@USBPChiefEPT) April 3, 2023

Border Patrol agents have discovered more than 130 stash houses holding over 1,800 migrants in the El Paso area so far this fiscal year, which began in October, according to official reports. 

Undocumented migrants found in stash houses are processed by Border Patrol agents for illegally entering the country and then deported.