Hidden tunnel on US-Mexico border will be sealed
Mexican border officials say a hidden cross-border tunnel used to smuggle migrants and contraband between the US and Mexico will be sealed.
Between Ciudad Juarez in Mexico and El Paso in Texas, which lie next to each other on either side of the border, the 300-meter tunnel was hidden in a storm sewer system and was only discovered last week – despite official estimates. It took at least a year to build.
Local media say investigators are now looking into whether local officials were aware of its construction.
Security has been stepped up on both sides of the border ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump, who has vowed to begin mass deportations of illegal immigrants once in office.
The tunnel was reinforced with wooden beams to prevent collapse and was equipped with lighting and ventilation.
General José Lemus, commander of the military garrison of Ciudad Juárez, told Mexican media that such a structure could take a year or two to build.
Mr. Lemus said the Mexican attorney general’s office has been tasked with investigating whether local officials were complicit in the construction of the tunnel.
The tunnel was discovered on January 10, when U.S. Border Patrol agents removed a metal plate covering the tunnel’s entry hole and then alerted their Mexican counterparts to its existence.
The flow of migrants from Mexico to the US has long affected relations between the two neighbors And became a defining issue of the 2024 US presidential election race, which culminated in Trump’s victory last year.
Raids to detain and deport immigrants living in the US without permission may begin from Tuesday – According to US media reports, the day after Trump officially returned to the White House.
Under US diplomatic pressure, Mexico is waging its largest migrant crackdown yet, sending non-Mexican migrants on buses and flights to the south of the country, away from the US border.
But Trump campaigned on a promise to seal the US-Mexico border and his threat to impose 25% tariffs to force Mexico to do more to stop undocumented migrants from reaching the US southern border. Seen as an effort.
In response, Recently elected Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Has said she will ask the US to take action to stop the flow of weapons being smuggled into Mexico.
