Migrants crossing U.S.-Mexico border through El Paso storm drains

Border Patrol agents stationed near El Paso discovered that migrants were using a storm drain near the U.S.-Mexico border to enter the country illegally. 

Agents discovered the plot after a camera set up by authorities near the drain in Ysleta Station detected movement, officials said. 

Upon further investigation, officials found that a group of individuals were “exploiting” the drain to smuggle undocumented migrants into the country, according to El Paso Sector Border Patrol Chief Anthony Good. 

Inside the storm drain, authorities found oxygen and other tools that were used to break into and navigate through the confined space, authorities said. 

It is unclear if anyone was arrested in connection to the smuggling operation. 

The discovery comes after a group of more than a dozen undocumented migrants had to be rescued by border officials after they became stuck in El Paso’s sewer system while attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico Border in February. 

The migrants had planned to sneak into the country through the city’s drains but failed to realize that the drains had been welded shut last year after authorities caught several other migrants using the sewage system to circumvent the wall. 

The fire department and the U.S. Border Patrol had to use several high-power tools, including a saw, to open the storm drain and remove the migrants from the sewer. 

City officials and Border Patrol agents are ramping up their efforts to stop the migrants from using the tunnels to reach the city. The tunnels can suddenly have rushing water, which can cause drownings, and they are plagued by venomous snakes, officials added.